It is cool to care for nature

Project

Back in 1996 I bought this property, in Devon, with a 3 acre paddock. For years there had been, in the back of my mind, the dream of creating my own 'nature reserve'. Now was my chance to redress the balance and create the right conditions for wildlife and wild flowers to flourish.
The aim of the project therefore is to attract wildlife to the plot by providing most creatures with their basic needs: food, water, shelter.

The paddock is south sloping, therefore dry, with spectacular views over the valley; mainly farmland, small copses, linked with hedges, so important for wildlife, with the river Dart down the bottom. Although a view means being exposed and windy, the field is sheltered from the north. It is bordered by overgrown hedges and some tall, mature oak and ash trees, covered in ivy.

For thirty years the grass had been kept short at all times and looked devoid of flora or fauna but had not been fertilised. There seemed to be potential for a wild flower meadow to attract insects which in turn would attract the birds and bats , frogs and toads, mice and moles I was hoping to cater for! There was no water, so a pond would have to be made. Shelter, in the form of shrubs and bushes, was also absent and would need urgent attention

The pages: Food, Water Shelter and Meadow give a short description of what was done over the years to provide these basics (food, water and shelter), thereby attracting and increasing the wildlife population considerably.