At the heart of our allotments is food growing. Great for our health, our wellbeing, our land and sustainability. But look a little closer, and you’ll notice that allotments are also great for our native wildlife too!
Allotments provide incredible habitats and wildlife corridors, and can be part of a biodiverse, balanced ecosystem. They provide food, water, safety and shelter for wildlife. Allotments can be havens for our birds, mammals, insects and invertebrates.
Over recent years, the Wembury Allotment Association has been working with ParkLife South West to provide more opportunities for wildlife to thrive at the site. This has included sowing wildflower seed into grassy margins around the allotment site, and planting a new boundary hedge of native tree species. Traditional variety fruit trees have also been planted, and a bug hotel has been created (affectionately named, “Buggingham Pallets”).
Allotment holders from the Association have joined forces with the ParkLife team to carry out these works, with the additional help from the village school and other volunteer groups from the local area. As a result the allotment is more welcoming for bees, butterflies and other insects, as well as many different types of birds, who enjoy the wild-life friendly conditions.
Allotments can help wildlife in a variety of ways. Trees provide food and shelter for birds, mammals and insects, and boundary hedges act as navigational networks for wildlife. Companion planting, the practice of planting different plant species in close proximity, supports biodiverse ecosystems. Additionally, diverse, organic plants provide nectar and food sources for pollinators throughout the year.
Wildlife meadows provide habitats and maintain a strong ecosystem, with healthy soil providing food and homes for our invertebrates. Ponds and water sources provide drinking water and damp areas for our amphibians; sheds, compost bins, bug hotels and rocky areas all provide places for a diverse mix of wildlife to live.
Wildlife also helps our allotments! Creating balanced ecosystems and space for wildlife in our allotments isn’t just great for nature, but vital for us too. It is estimated that 80% of food grown in the UK relies on pollinators, and we also rely on wildlife to pollinate and disperse seed from our flowers and trees. Many wildlife species manage and reduce pests too, such as ladybirds that eat aphids, and toads and frogs that eat slugs.
Invertebrates improve our soil fertility and health, and alongside insects, help to decompose our waste and speed up the composting process. Wildlife can also help improve or clean our water sources.
There are some great ways that you can create habitats in your allotment.
A bug hotel is essentially a stack of organic materials secured together, but they provide an excellent habitats for a variety of species! They can be comprised of different materials to accommodate different species of wildlife.
For solitary bees, you can use bamboo, reeds and drilled logs; insects like beetles, centipedes and woodlice thrive amongst dead wood and loose bark, and alongside dry leaves and sticks, provide a great space for ladybirds, too. You can also create larger cool, damp spaces in the center of your bug hotel using stones and tiles, providing a warmer place for frogs and toads in the winter!
Similarly, stacks of logs or branches can be left to decay, creating a great habitat for beetles, fungi, hedgehogs and slow worms. Some other ways include composting, creating ponds and water features, and installing bird feeders and nesting boxes. Composting is a great way to enrich the soil and providing shelter for insects, and even a small water feature can provide a habitat for frogs. Birdfeeders and nesting boxes can attract birds throughout the year, who are also great at reducing pests.