SMALL OF THE WILD

Ben Fogle’s guide on how to explore nature while staying safe at home during coronavirus lockdown

Grant Rollings

Published: 0:48, 14 Apr 2020
Updated: 0:52, 14 Apr 2020

WITH many of us missing our strolls in the countryside, this nation of nature lovers needs to find a way of keeping in touch with the great outdoors.

But just because we are staying safe at home, it doesn’t mean we can’t engage with Britain’s wild side.

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Ben Fogle shares tips on how to explore nature while staying safe at homeCredit: Handout

Adventurer and TV naturalist Ben Fogle is on hand to show you how to encourage various creatures great and small into your back gardens or on to your window ledges.

Ben, 46, is an ambassador for the World Wide Fund for Nature and is UN Patron Of The Wilderness – which involves highlighting the pressures and impacts on the Earth’s wildest corners.

Currently in lockdown with his family, he says: “Even if you are staying at home it doesn’t mean you can’t explore nature.

“This is a chance for the family to get involved with wildlife together.

“We can be creative and resourceful, using what we have to get the most out of whatever outdoor space we have.”

Here, Ben gives GRANT ROLLINGS his guide to how to welcome bugs, birds, amphibians and mammals into your life while stuck at home.

Ben provides an adventure class for pupils on Instagram Live at 4pm every weekday.

Bug hotel

IF you don’t have a garden, this will help you to attract wildlife to your window ledge.

The bug hotel is simple to put together and can be made with objects in your home that Mum and Dad don’t need.

You can place your bug hotel by your window if you don't have a gardenCredit: Getty Images - Getty

For the base you need something substantial, such as old masonry or wood.

If you are putting the bug hotel on a windowsill, be careful that there isn’t anything below that it could damage.

If the contents are lightweight, use egg containers weighted down with earth. Then build up your hotel with twigs, dry grass, acorns, straw or leaves.

Bees, which are in decline across the world, prefer hollow spaces, such as bamboo, to crawl into in winter.

Try to place your bug hotel in an area which receives sunlight in the morning and is shaded in the afternoon.

Before you know it, spiders, woodlice, ladybirds and all kinds of insects will start arriving.

Bird feeder

THERE are few joys greater than the sound of birdsong in the morning or the sight of a goldfinch swooping in.

And we can all find ways to attract them to our homes, whether it is a large garden or just a window ledge or patio.

There are many things around the house that can be turned into a bird feederCredit: Alamy Live News

Many things around the house can be turned into a bird feeder, such as an empty yoghurt pot or the classic half a coconut.

Cut holes for string to hang them up.

The food can be leftovers, or my children pick out the pips from tomatoes and peppers.

Make sure you hang the feeder in a spot which isn’t easily accessed by cats.

Hedgehogs

ONE of the silver linings to the lockdown is that wildlife is thriving, with animals venturing into places normally occupied by humans.

Hedgehogs have been in steep decline over the past few decades but there are ways to help their numbers rise again.

You can feed hedgehogs with tinned cat or dog foodCredit: Getty Images - Getty

If Mum and Dad use a strimmer around the garden, ask them to be very careful, because these tools can seriously injure these animals as they hide in undergrowth.

And our spiny pals in towns and cities have almost been imprisoned because fences between gardens mean they can’t move about.

Keeping your two-metre distance, ask your neighbour if they mind you cutting a small, hedgehog-sized shape into the fence.

That way you are both creating a hedgehog motorway and bringing neighbours closer together.

These wonderful creatures also love a place to hide, so a wood pile is good for them.

Just be careful if you plan to start a bonfire to make sure they are not inside it.

One warning, don’t put down milk to feed them. What hedgehogs really like is tinned cat or dog food.

Mini pond

A LITTLE water feature will add to the diversity of animals in your garden.

It needn’t be a big pond – any container will serve a useful purpose.

If you can order plants, there are some which are especially adapted to waterCredit: Getty Images - Getty

You could put down a plastic liner or adapt a Tupperware box.

Amphibians need a shallow end to access the water, so construct it with different depths. One thing is it shouldn’t be so shallow that it dries out in summer. And don’t simply fill it with tap water.

You need rain water for it to be desirable to frogs and toads.

If you can order plants, there are some which are especially adapted to water, such as the hornwort, which is a great oxygenator.

Algae is good food for tadpoles but you need to place the pond partly in the shade.

Bee and butterfly friendly flowers

JUST because plant nurseries are closed in the lockdown it doesn’t mean you can’t put flowers in your window box or garden.

Many of you will have unused flower seeds in an old drawer or the potting shed and you can still order plants – and herbs, also a good idea – online.

If you'd like to draw bees in your window place some blue flowers on the balconyCredit: Alamy

Chives, which come back year after year, provide food for both butterflies and bees.

Bees are particularly attracted to the colour blue, and geraniums are a good choice, while the herb oregano, an aromatic plant that can be placed on a balcony, will draw in butterflies.

If you are growing plants from seed you can plant them in egg boxes with a little soil, and in no time at all you will have created a homemade nursery.

It is also helpful to leave a patch of lawn uncut – wildlife doesn’t like pristine environments.

Start your own nature trail

ANYONE with a garden will be surprised by the amount of nature that already exists there without making any real effort.

Before you head out to have a look, get a pen and a paper to note down what you find.

You can use your phone to take pictures and then go online to research what you foundCredit: Getty Images - Getty

Then go out with your children into the nooks and crannies, the deepest undergrowth, and inspect these habitats carefully.

It is great to turn over old bricks to look at insects – but while you root around make sure you are not disturbing the homes of larger animals.

The kids should note down all the flowers, insects, worms and other creatures they come across.

Use your phone to take photos then go online to research what you saw.

Find out what trees and plants are in your garden to notice which are good for bees, butterflies or birds.

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