The Wealth of Wildlife

It’s difficult to avoid the news about biodiversity loss

and the destruction of the habitats on which our

wildlife depends. We are right to worry about it and

look at what we can do to turn things round. But

there’s another side to this: the wealth of wildlife that

persists, often without us realising it.

It’s an odd contradiction. We will look at a bit of

countryside and think that everything’s OK (“look at all that lovely nature”), maybe not realising that the Tree Sparrows, Corn Buntings, Grey Partridges, Skylarks, Lapwings and the rest, once common, are no longer there. But look at a piece of seemingly empty land (“it’s only a bit of worked out pasture”) and see the richness of life that is still there – the crickets and grasshoppers, beetles, hoverflies, moths and butterflies - and you can see that all is not lost. And if there is life there we have the basis for encouraging even more.

As we head into Autumn and Winter there’s plenty of encouraging we can all do. When you are clearing up in the garden leave space for wildlife to survive and flourish. Don’t cut down all the summer flower plants: leave some for seeds and shelter. Create some

woodpiles to provide a home for over-wintering insects and mammals. Don’t be too brutal when cutting back that hedge. Create a home for a hedgehog – make your own or buy one. And, as the long nights come, is that security light making life difficult for our wildlife: do you need so many, so bright, left on for so long? Each small step we can all

make adds up to a massive difference.

Meanwhile our thanks to all who are continuing to help with our projects as we struggle with Covid 19. And our thanks - to everyone involved in the 2020 Wild About Gardens Awards (we’ll be announcing the Awards in November) and to our rapidly growing number of Facebook followers (now 600+, up 58% in a year). We’re at Facebook.com/groups/wildcookham and www.wildcookham.org.uk.