Wildlife - bring wildlife into your garden this autumn

Don’t mow the grass!

By TV camerman Pete Eveson

With this summer's extremely hot weather, very little lawn mowing has been done on the scorched grass, and in my garden the fruit trees are dropping apples and pears all over the place. Now we're in the cooler autumn and winter period, it's a good idea to let the lawn recover by not mowing the grass and leaving all that fallen fruit to supply winter food for your garden birds.

If you have a garden with fruit trees growing in the lawn, allowing the windfalls to stay on the grass over the winter will help the wild birds that visit your garden. Although many fallen fruit go soft and unsightly, they are a winter bonus to resident and migratory birds who will eventually eat every last scrap of the fruit, leaving the lawn clear for the first mow in the New Year.

I have done this in my garden for many years, and have experienced the joy of watching the usual garden birds feasting on windfalls, especially during harsh weather. But the more unusual visitors will also find

Birds enjoying a windfall feast in Pete’s garden.

their way to these winter stores, including fieldfares, redwings and waxwings – if you leave berries on the trees.

This doesn’t cost anything, and you’ll be providing extra food during the winter, and birdwatching amusement too, as they congregate and spar for the best bits of fruit. Don’t forget that weed seeds in the lawn provide finches with extra nutrition too. So enjoy your lawn, and get your camera and binoculars ready!

With thanks to Pete Eveson, from Pulham Market. Pete is a TV cameraman who has worked on dramas, nature programmes, studio and outside broadcasts for both BBC and ITV.