Turn your balcony into a haven for wildlife

Wildlife and greenery aren’t things that are isolated to the countryside anymore. On the contrary, many city centre dwellers and suburban residents are now keen to use whatever outside space they have available to create a wildlife haven.

Outside space can be limited in a modern city centre residence, with many people being restricted to little more than a balcony. If you do have  limited space, you may find the following tips useful that will help you make the most of the space you have available in order to attract as much wildlife as possible to your little garden.

In order to create a wildlife haven with whatever space you have, all you’ll need is a little imagination, creativity and to follow a few simple rules that will see wildlife flocking to your garden. In return you will be compensated with being able to enjoy the inimitable rewards of nature. 

Food

The way to attract an abundance of different species to your balcony is with food. Obviously bird feeders are one of the simplest ways to do this but the likelihood is that you’ll want to attract much more than birds to your garden. Remember creatures such as butterflies and bees won’t be interested in bird seed and with the recent news of the dramatic decline in the number of bees in the UK, it’s essential to have flowers, plants and herbs that will grab their interest. Not only to make the most of your garden but also to help boost their numbers. If you’re looking to attract insects such as bees and butterflies then choosing plants that they’ll be drawn to is a good place to start. Both butterflies and bees seek out pollen. Butterflies prefer flowers with large heads so that they can land on the petals, whereas bees have no preference because they can get inside smaller headed flowers such as fox gloves. Both species however love yellow and purple plants as well as herbs. So asides benefitting wildlife you could also improve your cooking.

While food for bees and butterflies is essential, if you want to see a variety of wildlife on your balcony bird feeders will prove invaluable. Bird feeders come in many shapes and sizes and as there is no variety that’s considered best, you can choose whatever bird feeder looks best in your outdoor space.

Water

Wildlife needs water throughout the year in order to survive. During certain times of the year water can be hard to come by, which is why many birds rely on birdbaths put out by discerning nature lovers. You don’t have to go out of your way to buy a fancy birdbath as you can make them out of practically anything.  From small plastic lunch boxes to the base of a plant pot, let your creativity shine through in your quest to make a birdbath.

Colmanara Wildcat

If you can it’s a good idea to buy a birdbath heater. These aren’t expensive, they don’t use a lot of electricity and you only need to use them through the winter months. Doing something as simple as this ensures that birds and other animals, which might otherwise struggle to find unfrozen water, have a fresh water source through the winter. You should avoid adding any other substances to the birdbath other than clean, fresh water. Certain products, such as glycerine, which are intended to prevent water from freezing, actually harm the birds as they remove essential oils from their skin and feathers which causes them to freeze.

Following these few simple tips will see your uninspiring city centre balcony turned into something to shout about.

www.enviromat.co.uk has provided an insight for people who live in urban environments into ways that they can add a bit of nature to their urban lifestyles.