R WILDLI YOU FE YOUR GARDEN, YOUR CITY, MyWildCity

www.lancswt.org.uk Cover Image by Tom Marshall. HOW LINKING UP OUR GARDENS 49% CAN MAKE of ’s land cover is made up of dlife within green and blue & wil their A CHANGE… ople garde (water) spaces ting pe ns mywildReconnec City We want to help make Green space on Higher Manchester a greener, your doorstep My Wild City Charlestown by wilder place to be. is a new campaign run Living in an industrial city The Wildlife Trust for The My Wild City scheme is a can sometimes make you Moston Lancashire, Manchester and national initiative from The Wildlife feel as if you are somehow Trusts, which is already running very North Merseyside, that aims Cheetham disconnected from nature. & to reconnect people with their successfully in several cities including Bristol, Cardiff, London and Leeds. However, research we helped to gardens and the wildlife living & Clayton within them. We want to add Manchester conduct in 2016-18 led by Manchester Metropolitan University called CITY to the list of Wild Cities, CENTRE Bradford To do this we must link ‘My Back Yard’, found that 49% up our green spaces but we need your help. of Manchester’s land cover North and gardens to save is made up of green and blue local wildlife. (water) spaces. Whalley Moss Collectively, gardens make up Range Side 20% of this green space across Old Manchester – so the power is in Moat Chorlton all of our hands to get stuck in Park

and make a difference.

West If we have more people choosing

My Wild Gardens, planting East

Brooklands Didsbury wildflowers over cementing their Percentage of ward grounds, and laying hedges instead that is GARDEN GREEN of installing fences; not only will and BLUE space we be better protected against the 0% - 5%: Low impacts of climate change, we will 6% - 10%: Below Average

Image by Paul Hobson Paul by Image also be creating better, bigger and 11% - 14%: Average more joined up ecological networks Woodhouse 15% - 16%: Above Average Park for all our wildlife to thrive, all 17% - 27%: High the way from © Crown Copyright and to . Database Right 2018. Ordnance Survey (Digimap Licence). Created by Cavan et al. (2018) and Baker et al. (2018).

More maps can be viewed online at www.mmu.ac.uk/mybackyard

Lancashire Wildlife Trust @lancswildlife @lancashirewildlifetrust www.lancswt.org.uk Lancashire Wildlife Trust @lancswildlife @lancashirewildlifetrust www.lancswt.org.uk IF EVERYONE DOES ONE THING FOR WILDLIFE, TOGETHER We are a membership charity WE CAN MAKE and we couldn’t make a n pledge to p A REAL DIFFERENCE. difference without your support. ca rotec We manage and support many you t key conservation projects across species the North West.

Join our family at Song Thrush lancswt.org.uk/membership Providing bird food 5 and water over the winter season will help 2 their young survive. Images by Tip: dried mealworms Martin Harvey, Gillian Day, Terry Whittaker/2020VISION, are their favourite Mark Hamblin/2020VISION and 1 Chris Gomersall/2020VISION. HOUSE SPARROW Sparrows need a lot of insects, so try PIPISTRELLE BAT and attract them by leaving wild areas or planting caterpillar friendly trees, such as oak, apple, birch and willow Pipistrelles like cavity walls and spaces under the eaves of houses, so try not to block these off. 4

Wildlife must be able to move around the landscape to forage, mate and migrate. 3 Climate change and rising temperatures bumblebee means creatures are extending their territories north, but pushing them to A full stomach of nectar will. givePlanting a bee 40 minutes of flying time the limits in the south. While this sounds flowers such as lavender, crocuses, cornflower good to Northerners, it often means and honeysuckle can give them a boost. fragmented habitat and fewer wildlife corridors - this puts species at risk. Hedgehog Hedgehogs like meat-based petfood WHICH SPECIES WILL YOU PLEDGE (including cat biscuits), raisins, cooked potatoes and chopped fruit. Try TO HELP PROTECT TODAY? setting up a feeding station for them.

Lancashire Wildlife Trust @lancswildlife @lancashirewildlifetrust www.lancswt.org.uk Lancashire Wildlife Trust @lancswildlife @lancashirewildlifetrust www.lancswt.org.uk ps & hints my Ti f en g or a wilder gard ardenyou have? What typ e of garden do Find more things you can do to create a Wild Garden at… wild lancswt.org.uk/mywildcity shaded garden? Leave a patch of wild in your garden. Let nettles, thistles, holly and ivy grow for butterflies to lay Harris/2020VISION Paul by Images or their eggs on. urbanoasis a lot of light? Why not plant some wildflower seeds, or create a mini pond to give the birds a drink during hot weather? 60%+ Green 60%+

Replacing hard surfaces with green space, allows water Cemented patio or driveway? to seep into the ground and reduce flooding. But if you can’t change your driveway or patio, try or planting some potted herbs. Already reducing water runoff? What about making your wildat heart Driveway with permeable surface own compost? Local councils usually offer discounts on bins, but with a few pal lets, a hammer and nails you can do it in an

20%+ Green 20%+ (Such as resin) afternoon. Just make a lid and build it on top of soil.

Why don’t you make your own wormery out of plastic boxes, pop your worms in, food scraps and a bit of cardboard now and again. Drain off the ‘worm wee’. Superfood for your Got any SPARE plant pots? potted plants. Voila! potted or Champions Talk to your neighbours to organise a clean-up or go out to live in a flat /no green space? identify wildlife. Make sure you record your sightings and Less than 10% Green than Less submit them to Local Records Centre at gmwildlife.org.uk

Lancashire Wildlife Trust @lancswildlife @lancashirewildlifetrust www.lancswt.org.uk Lancashire Wildlife Trust @lancswildlife @lancashirewildlifetrust www.lancswt.org.uk my

Although there are three species wildg of Sparrow in the UK; the House, arden Hedge and Tree Sparrow, the House Sparrow is the most likely of the three to be seen in your CONSERVATION garden. It can be identified by its STATUS: black bib and grey cap in males, UK RED and a thick bill and streaky brown LISTED colouring in females. SPECIES THE HOUSE SPARROW There are two main reasons PASSER DOMESTICUS for the sparrows’ decline including a lack of insects and nesting sites. Meadows are being built on and Understanding nature is a lot easier gardens over-tided. So attracting when you realise that it’s actually insects to your garden by leaving happening outside your window. areas wild will not only encourage sparrows but bats, birds, Your garden is part of a vitally hedgehogs and frogs. important network, which creates habitats and links across Manchester, House Sparrows typically nest the North West and . in the eaves of houses, but with the removal of old-style eaves in So, when you notice something is missing modern housing, House Sparrows from your bird table then it might just are really struggling. Being colonial mean that particular species is in peril. nesters, putting up a couple of nest boxes designed specifically The House Sparrow is a glaring example for them can really support them of this. It is thought there are now through the breeding season. Pop 10 million fewer house sparrows in the boxes 2m above the ground and the UK than there were 25 years ago, on the north to east sides of your meaning local populations are houses to avoid extreme weather. definitely affected. The more you make your garden or local open space wildlife-friendly, Vine House Farm the more likely you will get a wide is an award-winning variety of wildlife coming along wildlife friendly farm to spend time with you. which which donates up to 5% of the value And, while some of these of every sales order species will seem exotic and to the Wildlife Trusts brightly coloured, remember You can order bird food one beautiful, noisy, cheeky and nest boxes easily at character will continue to return VINEHOUSEFARM.CO.UK . . .the wonderful House Sparrow.

Image by Ben Hall/2020VISION

Lancashire Wildlife Trust @lancswildlife @lancashirewildlifetrust www.lancswt.org.uk Lancashire Wildlife Trust @lancswildlife @lancashirewildlifetrust www.lancswt.org.uk + childre 00 n in HOW YOU CAN ,0 w HOW CAN YOU 20 i e ld g l MAKE A DIFFERENCE a if GET MORE g e n - e r

e e l INVOLVED For the Lancashire Wildlife Trust to continue a W

t e

our work we need to have a dependable source d

a

of income so we can plan more effectively for c IN MY WILD

t

i

v

the future and make sure we are spending your i t

i

e donations where wildlife needs it the most. s GARDEN?

The threat to our wildlife is real, and unless We want to hear all about the we act now the wildlife and wild places we changes you are making in your all love will become a thing of the past. garden. Simply submit them via volunteers 00 who the interactive map on our website By supporting our charity as a member, you will 1,3 co re n under My Wild Champion. be directly helping to KEEP OUR REGION WILD! pi tr s ib Show off what you’re doing and see n u Your support will make a difference on your own i t e e the bigger community you’re part of. doorstep, and for generations to come. W 5 0 , 0

0

0

have a membersh , Please submit We ip package to veryone h

suit e o your actions online

ndi u

ch as i vidua r

su l, joint or family s

lancswt.org.uk/

e

a

c

h mywildcity

ONLI BY Ph

IN NE IN on y O e e

J JO a r or use the hashtag #MyWildMCR when you tweet, share protect over or post your images l k nd 50 a u 0 e a N on social media! nc g. 17 29 ag atu sw or 72 241 an r t. 3 m e e R W es e r v e s

We run a c

r

o

s s

MORE THAN 100

t my

h

e

conservation projects, r

e

g

i

using our local o n wild knowledge & garden Images by Penny Dixie expertise and Paul Harris/2020VISION and Alan Wright.

Lancashire Wildlife Trust @lancswildlife @lancashirewildlifetrust www.lancswt.org.uk Lancashire Wildlife Trust @lancswildlife @lancashirewildlifetrust www.lancswt.org.uk My Wild City’s aim is to achieve more My Wild Gardens, My Wild Offices, My Wild Schools and My Wild Champions. We want to empower YOU with the knowledge and ability to be able to make a change in YOUR area. MyWildCity We’ll be offering FREE gardening workshops at The Hive in Bolton, with an aim to work together to improve the habitat quality of 15,000 gardens across Manchester by 2025. Visit lancswt.org.uk/mywildcity for more details

The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside The Barn, Berkeley Drive, Bamber Bridge, Preston, Lancashire, PR5 6BY. Tel: 01772 324129 Registered charity no. 229325

Image by Gillian Day.

Lancashire Wildlife Trust @lancswildlife @lancashirewildlifetrust www.lancswt.org.uk