Biodiversity on our doorsteps

GARDENS:Is your garden looking a bit shaggy in places? Good, writes JANE POWERS

THIS IS THE tail-end of the United Nations International Year of Biodiversity. During 2010 we were asked to celebrate the variety of life on this earth and to work hard to preserve it: after all, our own lives are interwoven again and again with those of the other organisms on this planet.

But, oh dear, what a year it has been. Many of us have had our lenses turned inwards towards our own difficulties, and the state that we are in; other animals and plants haven't really entered the frame - even though we know that our food, our clothing, our construction materials, our medicines, our well-being and our wealth are dependent to varying degrees on them. It can be hard to get truly engaged with the rainforest or polar icecaps when people and places nearer at hand are in need of help.

But biodiversity is all around us. Like charity, it begins at home. Or, at least it can. The spaces - no matter how small - outside our front and back doors offer great potential for increasing the numbers of species living in and visiting them. And if you are feeling stressed, there is some comfort to be had in watching birds foraging, bees bumbling, and various other creatures going about their busy lives.

TWELVE STEPS TO BETTER BIODIVERSITY

1.Plant a tree, even if it is only a tiny one. If it flowers and fruits, so much the better. It will provide nectar and shelter for insects, and act as a song post and larder for birds.

2.Underplant the tree with herbaceous plants, and if it is large enough, include shrubs as well. This creates the same effect as a woodland's edge: a habitat that is very attractive to many creatures.

3.Put in a lawn (even a pint-sized one) next to your mini-woodland. It will attract thrushes, starlings and other birds that like to poke around in the turf for invertebrates.

4.Plant dense climbers, or shrubs, or a hedge to give cover for birds, and a safe place for them to build their nests.

5.Lay off the chemicals: pesticides, herbicides and artificial fertilisers are all detrimental to the larger web of life.

Most pesticides are indiscriminate as to what they harm, herbicides can damage earthworms, and too much fertiliser can cause sappy, vulnerable growth. Natural fertilisers, such as farmyard manure (in moderation) and garden compost, help to build up a healthy and complex soil.

6.Leave seedheads and other strong skeletal growth standing in your garden over winter. Birds will eat the seeds, and insects will hide in the dead material. Some plants that have beautiful and useful winter skeletons are: teasel, artichoke, cardoon, eupatorium, Phlomis russeliana, verbascum and sunflower.

Let fallen leaves and other debris lie on the ground under shrubs and in out-of-the-way places. Ground beetles, centipedes, spiders and other invertebrates live here, eating lower-down creatures, and providing food for higher-ups.

If your garden or driveway is sealed under paving, consider gravel or another permeable material instead. If this is too big a job, perhaps it is possible to lift some of the paving to create planting pockets? Widespread soil sealing means that rainwater has nowhere to go except into already hard-pressed sewers and waterways - which can lead to flooding in wet weather. Hard surfaces also reflect heat back in summer, raising temperatures, especially in urban areas.

Foliage in built-up zones helps cool and clean the air.

9.Plant nectar-rich flowers for bees and butterflies. Most perennials can still be planted now, if the soil is not too cold. Provide some winter-flowering plants too, such as winter-flowering cherry, daphne and viburnum, for the bumblebees that are out and about all year. Early-spring bloomers, including aubreita, bluebell, crocus, euphorbia and hellebore, will help feed emerging queen bees and honeybees while they are building up their hive populations.

10.Welcome in a few nettles: these are the food plants for the caterpillars of the small tortoiseshell, red admiral and peacock butterflies. They also harbour early colonies of aphids, which in turn provide food for the first ladybirds of the season. Nettles are high in nitrogen, and can be added to the compost heap, or used to make a liquid feed. The plants are most potent in springtime. (Throw 1 kilo of chopped leaves and stems into 10 litres of water. Cover and leave for two weeks, stirring every few days. Strain the liquid and use diluted, one part to 10 parts water.)

11.Add some water to your garden, preferably a pond, for birds to bathe in, for frogs to make their homes in, and for many other creatures to visit. Make sure it has a stepped or graduated edge so that birds can safely access it. Provide planting around it, so that baby frogs have somewhere safe to hide when they leave the water. If a pond is not possible, put in a bird bath - even if it is only a heavy terracotta plant saucer or a bin lid. Birds don't mind how their bath water is presented, as long as it is not too deep.

12.Leave the perimeters of your garden a little shaggy, to provide shelter for all kinds of creatures, including caterpillars and frogs.

jpowers@irishtimes.com