April 1st 2021
The Wildlife Trusts and the RHS set up Wild About Gardens to celebrate wildlife gardening and to encourage people to use their gardens to take action to help support nature.
This year’s campaign theme is ‘Bring Back Our Beetles’.
According to Wild About Gardens - beetles are an important (and exciting) part of any healthy wildlife garden – as well as helping to pollinate plants and recycle nutrients in the soil. Whilst acting as food for other garden visitors such as hedgehogs and birds.
However, the public can help to encourage beetle species into their gardens by building habitats/homes and so Wild About Gardens has produced the following booklet (in PDF format):
https://www.wildaboutgardens.org.uk/sites/default/files/2021-03/200204%20RSWT%20WAG2021%20Booklet_WEBSPREADS_cardinal%281%29_1.pdf
Helen Bostock, Senior Horticultural Advisor at the RHS said: “Beetles are really cool. They come in so many shapes, sizes and colours and play lots of different roles in garden life – nibblers, pest controllers, pollinators, recyclers, and even undertakers. Like so much of our wildlife, they are under threat so we hope by shining a spotlight on them people will really start to appreciate and encourage beetles in their gardens.”
Ellie Brodie, Head of Land Management at The Wildlife Trusts said: “Beetles play an absolutely crucial role in maintaining a natural balance in your garden. At a time when insect populations are on the ropes, it is so important that we create and restore wild areas to give them a fighting chance to recover. Beetles are such fascinating creatures – take the maybug – look closely at its antennae, you’ll never see anything quite so exquisite!"
Source: The Wildlife Trusts & The RHS (Wild About Gardens)