Welcome to our new Wild About Nature page. The coming year (and beyond) we will be sharing free resources for activities you could undertake to help and improve biodiversity on the Wirral.
Each season will have its own activities. We will run workshops each season, to encourage everyone to be Wild About Nature!
Find out more on our Climate Action Hub
Our workshops will be advertised on the Ticket Tailor website
Spring
For this season we are sharing activities that help nature and are fun to do, and each season there is at least one family-friendly activity to enjoy with the little ones.
Create a bird bath
Birds and other animals need clean drinking water and water to wash in, throughout the year. This is the perfect time to create your own bird bath. You can make your own bird bath from recycled materials, so it does not have to cost a lot. It will have a large impact on our local wildlife, especially during very warm and very cold periods.
You will need:
- a makeshift birdbath, for example, an old frying pan, bin lid or baking tray. This object should be shallow with a rough surface around the edge for grip.
- stones, marbles, or rocks
- a small floating ball
How to create a bird bath:
- Find the object you wish to use to hold the water. This should have rough or stippled edges and be no more than 2.5cm deep. It should be easy to move and clean when needed.
- Place this bath in an area with plenty of visibility, but still offering cover. Ideally somewhere a few meters off the ground, within a shaded area.
- Place different sized stones within the water to allow birds of all sizes to access the bath.
- Maintain the bird bath, keep the bath topped up with rainwater when needed, clean the bird bath when necessary to avoid algae and disease.
- In the winter months, or whenever the temperature drops below freezing, place a small floating ball into the bird bath. This will stop the water from freezing. Never use antifreeze in this water.
Find out more about making a bird bath
Get involved in No Mow May
A healthy lawn with long grass and wildflowers really benefits biodiversity. This offers a habitat for all sorts of species to thrive. This includes small mammals, as well as insects like caterpillars, bees, beetles and butterflies.
Even a small patch of ‘wild’ grass would really help our local insects. You don’t need to let your whole garden grow wild if you don’t want to.
Use #NoMowMay online to share your action and encourage others to take part. Tell your neighbours about the event and try to get as many people involved as possible.
It is important to have habitats like this all-year round, try to keep at least some of your garden long and feature wildflowers where possible. Grow your garden and watch as a wide range of species flock towards it.
Find out more about No Mow May
Create newspaper seed pots!
Newspaper seed pots are a great way to plant seeds without damaging the environment. These can be made using recycled materials from your own home. Be sure to use black and white newspaper, and not any shiny or coloured paper as this can be harmful to the soil.
You will need:
- Black and white newspaper
- A small, glass jar
The Eden Project have written a useful guide on how to create your newspaper seed pots:
- Lay a sheet of newspaper flat, avoid shiny or coloured paper.
- Fold the newspaper in half lengthways twice to create a long strip.
- Lay a small, glass jar on its side at one end of the strip. Roll the paper around the jar, leaving some paper hanging over the open end of the jar.
- Push the overhanging paper into the open end of the jar.
- Take the jar out, leaving a paper pocket.
- Push the bottom of the jar into the paper pocket to flatten it, sealing the bottom.
- Remove the jar. Your paper seed pot is now ready for soil and seeds.