Wonderful Winter Wildlife – The Good, The Bad and The Ridiculously Cute

wonderful-winter-wildlife-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ridiculously-cuteImage by KReimer

Your garden can be your pride and joy, or that annoying bit attached to your house. One way or another, you’ll find yourself out there on a fairly regular basis making it look its best – or at least trying to restore order. Whichever is the case, you’ll know your way around it – which is why you’ll notice if you’re sharing it. I don’t mean with your neighbours, either. Or at least, not the ones who own the house next door.

From time to time, we end up with visitors to our garden that we weren’t expecting. Again, the level of pride you take in your garden will dictate what you think of these visitors. If you are fiercely defensive of your prize-winning tomatoes, you might be displeased to see squirrels sizing them up. Whereas if you just tend to mow the lawn every week or so, the occasional hedgehog or porcupine might be a welcome addition.

“What If I Don’t Want Visitors?”

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Image by Archbob

As amusing as the idea sounds to some, the presence of squirrels in your tomato patch can be a nuisance. Many keen gardeners relate stories of finding the fruit pulled from the vines and partially eaten.

So What’s The Solution?

There are two main ways to prevent this from happening to your crop. If you’re feeling vindictive, you can use a repellent spray. This may be chemical-based, but that’s not great for the soil. However, the urine of a larger animal (yes, it’s commercially available) works well. Failing that, if you don’t mind squirrels but want to protect your tomatoes, set up a bird bath. They mostly see your veg as a water source anyway.

“Actually, I’d Quite Like Some Wildlife Around”

By all means, you may want to attract some more creatures to your garden. If you aren’t growing food crops, or if they’re safe inside small greenhouses, they can add charm to a garden and may even keep pests away.

Sounds Great, Where Do I Start?

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Image by Oldiefan

A good place to begin is always a bird feeder in your garden. Depending on your local area, there will be different native birds to look out for. They’ll have their dietary preferences, so check those out online and make the right food available. If you’re looking for something a little more mammalian, then leave some areas of your garden wild. This gives them somewhere to nest and hide from predators.

“Next Door’s Cat Is Always Hanging Around, What Do I Do?”

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Image by PDP

Ideally, you don’t want a neighbour’s cat in your garden too often because, well, it’s their cat. If they come to see your garden as their spot, it keeps birds and other creatures away (and if you have a cat yourself, leads to territorial squabbles).

One way to keep cats from treating your garden like their own is to scatter citrus peel around the boundaries. Cats dislike the smell of citrus and will give it a wide berth. This may attract other animals, of course, but as previously noted, that may be a bonus rather than a drawback.

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Image by TanteTati

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