Water for wildlife

March 2025

Every wildlife garden benefits from water, and so it is on the project plan.

11. Water supply. It is understood the stream dries out during the warmer months and there is no other water source on the property. The banks will be monitored to see if they stay damp enough to enable puddling. If not, a water dish will be added to the flower garden. Longer term a wildlife pond to attract dragonflies and other wildlife is planned, which will have a shallow area for insects and birds to access.

What is already clear is I have my facts wrong. The stream doesn't dry out in summer at all, but does stagnate, which isn't healthy for any life in it, as movement helps oxygenate the water. Working on the stream is not something I am planning for this year, partly because there is so much else to do and partly because it is quite hard to get down there. Now I know there is year-round water, I'd like to monitor for wildlife, but it's simply in the too-hard basket right now. I will be planting some trees, shrubs and grasses along the riparian area to help reduce erosion and create more habitat this year, but no more than that. I managed to get a manuka planted down there in spring and I am excited that the trees I have planned for the stream side are all proven wildlife magnets.

The garden stream

Because we haven't had butterflies in the garden in any quantity, it's not clear if they will use the stream for puddling, but I think it is possible. That will mean I won't have to put together a puddling dish, which gives butterflies minerals as well as water. Thank goodness, because that's an extra piece of work and would need to be maintained. Back in Hillcrest many other insects would land on stream banks for moisture. Here in Birkenhead, I've noticed insects using the shallow edges of the bird bath by the butterfly garden.

Honey bee getting water

I was given a lovely ceramic daisy bird bath made by artist Didi Chapman for Christmas and it's beauty currently puts the rest of the border to shame. However, I am having issues with it. I'll need to put pebbles in it, as several bumblebees drowned getting water from it, given its shape hinders them getting out easily. It doesn't hold enough water to cope with hot spells, but it holds too much to offer a safe space for insects, so pebbles will help.

When I went to West Lynn Garden's butterfly house they had a simple bowl with pebbles in for the butterflies, even though they had a couple of ponds as part of the butterfly house environment. It's worth noting these are quite high rocks and their butterfly house has been running of a long time, so they would know what works best. I do want bees to be able to use ours as well, so perhaps different levels?

West Lynn Gardens butterfly house water station

The big bird bath was left by the previous owner and we brought two with us, meaning we have an abundance of the things. I've put our main one in the courtyard, but I haven't seen it used by birds yet, and I am wondering about turning the deep bath, which is too deep for regular bird bathing, into a mini pond to grow some aquatic plants ahead of digging a pond. My only reluctance is mosquitoes.

Birds do use the big bird bath, mostly blackbirds and Asiatic doves, as well as the stream, but I haven't seen native birds in either.

 I feel we have some way to go before I am happy with the provision of water in the garden and I'm open to tips and advice. Watch this space.