Most of us want more wildlife to visit our gardens, and attracting birds, mammals, and invertebrates don’t have to be difficult. I reside in a (Place name). We have a small plot of land around the house that we call our garden. There are a surprising number of wild animals, birds, and insects in this garden.
Every morning, the songs of magpie-robins, yellow vented bulbuls, and mynahs wake me up. It’s usually a cacophony of shrill voices that never fails to delight me. The birds are amazing. I’ve often wondered why people keep birds in cages. It is far more enjoyable to listen to the wild birds sing their songs.
The tailor ants, or kerengga, build their nests on fruit trees. Woe betides anyone who isn’t cautious when walking through the woods because these little red devils can bite hard. When we want to get at the fruits, we frequently have no choice but to get rid of them. However, we usually leave them alone.
Spiders and their venomous webs can be found in the garage and behind it. Some spiders are quite large, almost the size of a man’s palm. A sighting of one of these can be quite frightening. When humans approach these spiders, they usually lose their nerve. We are much bigger than they are.
We must keep the grass mowed on a regular basis or else unwanted creatures, particularly snakes, will make it their playground. We came across cobras, grass snakes, skinks, iguanas, and other creatures in the grass on several occasions. Unfortunately, we had to kill cobras and other poisonous snakes on occasion because they could become dangerous. Skinks, frogs, and millipedes are not dangerous.
Scorpions, centipedes, various beetles, earthworms, ants, and other smaller creatures can be found among rotting vegetation. It’s always fascinating to watch these creatures scurry around doing their jobs. Of course, we must be cautious of scorpions and centipedes.
Then there are the butterflies, bees, and other flying insects to consider. It’s incredible to see butterflies of various sizes and colors flitting among the flowers. They are truly stunning to behold. It makes me marvel at the natural genius that created them.
The bees are unique. They are constantly busy collecting nectar from the flowers. Honey bees are small in comparison to bumblebees, which are much larger. But I have to be careful around them because they can sting painfully if disturbed. So far, I’ve only been stung once, when I unluckily picked a flower that contained a honey bee. My hand was swollen for a day, but the poor bee died because its sting had worn off.
These are the wild creatures that visit or live in my garden during the day. During the night, I’ve seen bats flying by and heard nightjars clicking. I’m sure there are more nocturnal creatures out there that I’m not aware of. In any case, I’m still amazed at how a small garden like ours can support so much wildlife. It is truly wonderful.
The great joy of wildlife gardening is that it allows you to learn about many common British species. Having regular wildlife visitors allows you to learn more about their behavior as well as witness the ups and downs of their daily lives.
