Your garden probably already supports a mixture of animals. You n might see blue tits and sparrows, butterflies and beetles, and watch o the cheeky antics of squirrels and foxes. This pack will help you to i develop ways of attracting more local wildlife to your garden. t Wildlife gardeners try to manage their garden as a balanced habitat, c where each animal and plant has a part to play. u d About this pack In this pack you will find help to start the following projects. o Feel free to photocopy the sheets if you want to share them. r A butterfly garden t Improve your flower borders to make a perfect environment for butterflies. n i Gardening for birds How to improve your garden for blue tits, sparrows and other songbirds with trees : and shrubs. g Feeding birds n i Providing food for birds in your garden can help them through difficult times when natural food is scarce. n A mini-meadow e Grass gardening for grasshopper people to experience the chirp of the cricket and d the flutter of the meadow brown butterfly. r Pond building a A centrepiece for the wildlife garden, and vital support for dragonflies and frogs. G Pond maintenance How to keep your pond attractive and healthy. e f Wildlife on walls i l City gardening for bird lovers. Greening your walls for wildlife, and building your own bird boxes. d l i Problem wildlife Maintaining a balance in your garden and dealing with slugs. W Monitoring your wildlife garden Keep your own records, and help by adding to ours. Suppliers and contacts Where to go for supplies, help and advice. Wildlife gardening in Islington Some local information about wildlife in Islington and what can be done to help. Wildlife gardens in London To get more ideas, to see how a mini-meadow looks for real, or to talk to people who really manage a wildlife garden, try visiting one of the sites overleaf. Phone the number for access details, opening times, fees if applicable, volunteering, and occasional wildlife events. If you would like a large print version of these information sheets, please call us on 020 7354 5162 n Places to visit in Islington Wildlife Gardens o i in London For a small borough, Islington has a host of places and t c organisations of interest to the wildlife gardener. Some have The Wildlife Garden at The u demonstration gardens and provide advice on wildlife Natural History Museum d gardening and sustainable practices. Others are open spaces Wonderful mosaic of country o managed for wildlife, to inspire you. lanes, chalk downland, fenland, r and other patches of British t n Sites Managed for Community Gardens countryside only a blackbird’s i flutter from the busy high street. : Nature Conservation Culpeper Community Garden g For more information about these Tel 020 7942 5000 n Largely maintained by www.nhm.ac.uk/museum/garden/ i sites contact the Nature volunteers; organic and n Conservation Team on index.html Kensington e wildlife-friendly gardens. An 020 7354 5162: d London Wildlife Trusts Centre oasis in a busy urban area. r Islington Ecology Centre and for Wildlife Gardening a 1 Cloudesley Road, N1 Gillespie Park Local Nature The first demonstration garden G Tel 020 7833 3951 Reserve keeps its friendly good humour. e www.culpeper.org.uk Ponds, meadows, cornfield, and f i A Green flag award winning site l lots of ideas for small gardens in with a demonstration wildlife Sunnyside Community d l this oasis of calm. Tel 020 7252 i garden as well as ponds, Gardens 9186 Peckham, Southwark meadows, wetlands and A community garden that W woodlands. Advice on wildlife provides horticultural therapy London Wetland Centre gardening and sustainable living to people with special needs Three sophisticated sustainable available. and promotes sustainability. gardens bordering the wetland 191 Drayton Park, N5 1PH Hazellville Road, N19 reserve designed by Arne Tel 020 7272 3522 Maynard, Isabelle von Groeninge, Barnsbury Wood Local www.sunnysidegarden.org.uk Cleeve West and Johnny Nature Reserve Woodford. Tel 020 8409 4400 A small demonstration wildlife Freightliners Farm Barnes, Richmond Upon Thames garden at the entrance to the Small city farm promoting Nature Conservation Team. London Zoo – Wildlife Garden Islington Ecology Centre, wood. Open Tuesdays 2-4pm and community involvement and Sunshine sustainable garden, a 191 Drayton Park, sustainable practices, events additionally Saturdays 2-4pm pond, small meadow and Gillespie Park local and workshops, small garden through the summer. examples of succession of Nature Reserve, Crescent Street, London N1 with weekly gardening club, London N5 1PH habitats. The animal displays fruit and vegetable market, and would not be complete without a Parkland Walk Local T 020 7354 5162 community composting picture of wildlife on your Nature Reserve F 020 7288 1717 scheme. Sheringham Road, N7 doorstep. Tel 020 7722 3333, Once a railway route, now a local E [email protected] Tel 020 7609 0467 Camden W www.islington.gov.uk nature reserve and host to a www.freightlinersfarm.org.uk range of birds, bats, fungi and Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew Possibly London’s largest wildlife insects. Woodland trails and acidic For a list of community garden, the lawn mower is kept grassland, unique in the borough. gardens in London contact: From Finsbury Park to Highgate. under a strict regime, allowing The Federation of City Farms you to wander among tranquil Regents Canal and Community Gardens on meadows, marvel over bluebell A Site of Metropolitan Importance 020 7485 5001 woods, and view the biggest London Wildlife Trust. to Nature Conservation. The www.farmgarden.org.uk compost heap in the capital. Skyline House, towpath verges and Tel 020 8332 5000 200 Union Street, London SE1 0LX embankments are managed sympathetically for wildlife. Also Look for local gardens with a wildlife theme, to visit through the E [email protected] Thornhill Bridge Community Yellow Book National Gardens scheme. Tel 01483 211535. T 020 7261 0447 Gardens adjacent to Caledonian F 020 7261 0538 More parks are now making improvements and including wildlife Road. York way to Muriel St, N1 W www.wildlondon.org.uk areas. Phone your council ecology officer or head of parks to see and Colebrooke Row to if there are any projects nearer to you. Registered charity Sturts Lock, N1 no: 283895 .