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SPACE FOR NATURE This summer make your garden more wildlife-friendly by joining TROWBRIDGE ECO'S Space For Nature project.
on and start a nest, whilst the seed heads are picked off by goldfinches.
GREEN SPACE SURVEY
Can you find space for nature in your garden?
T
rowbridge Eco’s Space for Nature project is all about raising awareness about the declining insect populations and how every person can do something little to help them recover. The project is giving out free blue hearts for any residents happy to designate a part of their garden – a square metre of grass, a pond, a flower bed or a plant pot – to nature this summer. By doing so, you will join the 100+ households who have already pledged a patch. They currently have over 1000m2 of space designated to wildlife across Trowbridge and surrounding villages and want to improve on this further.
TOP TIPS FOR YOUR NATURE PATCH • Leave the grass to grow from April to July • Plant bee-friendly plants like knapweed or teasel • Grow plants that flower at different times of year, for instance, 14
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a fruit tree blossoming in spring, comfrey during midsummer and rudbeckia/ daisies in late summer • A sunken tub or bucket into the ground can be a simple but effective pond. Make sure to have some rocks for things to crawl out • Create a hole in the bottom of your fence to create a hedgehog highway.
"The project is giving out free blue hearts for any residents happy to designate a part of their garden to nature this summer." As one of our bigger killers of insects, there are no need for pesticides in the garden. Not only that, but you don’t have to get rid of all your weeds either, some are important for pollinators. Dandelions for instance are a great source of nectar in early spring so leave them be if you can, they provide queen bumblebees that much needed energy boost to carry
The Trowbridge Eco team are also keen to get feedback from residents on public green spaces and how council mowing could be changed. The group wants to see more grass spaces left for nature but know many are used for recreational spaces across town so are looking to strike a balance. We believe many areas could have large strips of grass left to grow long during the summer and cut back in the autumn. To give your feedback there is a survey you can fill out on the website or on their social media channels. Alternatively you can find members of the Trowbridge Eco group at these Meadow Mania events: Elm Grove Park, Wiltshire Drive 4 July, 13:00 - 15:00 Paxcroft Brook, near Moyle Park 11 July, 10:00 - 12:00 Queens Road, Seymour 17 July, 10:00 - 12:00 Tyning Close, Broadmead 17 July, 13:00 - 15:00 If you have space to designate or can help us engage with local schools and landowners please email trowbridgeeco@gmail.com. Trowbridge Eco’s Space for Nature Project has been kindly funded by Wiltshire Council’s Trowbridge Area Board and Wessex Water Recovery Grant through Wiltshire Community Foundation. • trowbridgeeco.com
