November may well bring us the first real signs of winter and confine our wildlife watching to the back garden. Around twenty years ago I planted a Christmas tree with a few roots on it, rather than just throwing it out after the holiday season. It thrived and is now a tall, healthy looking spruce tree growing a few metres from my lounge window. Like most trees, it harbours a wealth of insect life, such as the Spruce Carpet moth shown here, that in turn attracts a variety of birds looking for a quick meal.
One regular visitor to our spruce tree throughout the winter is the long-tailed tit. This delightful bird is a resident that breeds in woodland with rich undergrowth, building a beautiful nest of moss, held together with spiders’ webs and camouflaged with shreds of lichen and bark. Once the young have fledged, these birds travel in family groups from tree to tree feeding mainly on insects, but they are restless feeders, usually moving on after a few minutes.
Goldcrests are also frequent diners at the spruce tree during the winter, again surviving almost entirely on insects and spiders. They are this country’s smallest breeding bird, smaller than a wren and weighing less than a 10 pence piece! They can be recognised by the distinctive yellow stripe down the middle of the crown; the only similar species is the much rarer firecrest, which has a redder head stripe and a bolder face pattern.
All gardens benefit from the addition of a tree or two when it comes to providing a suitable habitat for wildlife. Native trees such as oak, willow, birch and hawthorn will all support hundreds of species of insects and other small invertebrates; these in turn will feed a variety of larger animals. Even an imported tree such as the spruce will provide sufficient food items for several species of bird. Our countryside has changed out of all recognition over the last hundred years, with the loss of wetlands, hedgerows, woodlands and flower meadows. During the same period, our gardens have taken over as havens for wildlife, playing the role of forest glades – open spaces surrounded by hedges, herbaceous plants and trees. Even a relatively small tree, such as a cherry, will help increase the biodiversity in your garden, in addition to providing you with attractive flowers, autumn colour and a shady place to sit on a hot summer’s day.
November may well bring us the first real signs of winter and confine our wildlife watching to the back garden. Around twenty years ago I planted a Christmas tree with a few roots on it, rather than just throwing it out after the holiday season. It thrived and is now a tall, healthy looking spruce tree growing a few metres from my lounge window. Like most trees, it harbours a wealth of insect life, such as the Spruce Carpet moth shown here, that in turn attracts a variety of birds looking for a quick meal.
One regular visitor to our spruce tree throughout the winter is the long-tailed tit. This delightful bird is a resident that breeds in woodland with rich undergrowth, building a beautiful nest of moss, held together with spiders’ webs and camouflaged with shreds of lichen and bark. Once the young have fledged, these birds travel in family groups from tree to tree feeding mainly on insects, but they are restless feeders, usually moving on after a few minutes.
Goldcrests are also frequent diners at the spruce tree during the winter, again surviving almost entirely on insects and spiders. They are this country’s smallest breeding bird, smaller than a wren and weighing less than a 10 pence piece! They can be recognised by the distinctive yellow stripe down the middle of the crown; the only similar species is the much rarer firecrest, which has a redder head stripe and a bolder face pattern.
All gardens benefit from the addition of a tree or two when it comes to providing a suitable habitat for wildlife. Native trees such as oak, willow, birch and hawthorn will all support hundreds of species of insects and other small invertebrates; these in turn will feed a variety of larger animals. Even an imported tree such as the spruce will provide sufficient food items for several species of bird. Our countryside has changed out of all recognition over the last hundred years, with the loss of wetlands, hedgerows, woodlands and flower meadows. During the same period, our gardens have taken over as havens for wildlife, playing the role of forest glades – open spaces surrounded by hedges, herbaceous plants and trees. Even a relatively small tree, such as a cherry, will help increase the biodiversity in your garden, in addition to providing you with attractive flowers, autumn colour and a shady place to sit on a hot summer’s day.