Concise Garden Wildlife Guide Read online

  There are 47 individual Wildlife Trusts covering the whole of the UK and the Isle of Man and Alderney. Together The Wildlife Trusts are the largest UK voluntary organization dedicated to protecting wildlife and wild places everywhere – at land and sea. They are supported by 791,000 members, 150,000 of whom belong to their junior branch, Wildlife Watch. Every year The Wildlife Trusts work with thousands of schools, and their nature reserves and visitor centres receive millions of visitors.

  The Wildlife Trusts work in partnership with hundreds of landowners and businesses across the UK in towns, cities and the wider countryside. Building on their existing network of 2,250 nature reserves, The Wildlife Trusts’ recovery plan for the UK’s wildlife and fragmented habitats, known as A Living Landscape, is being achieved through restoring, recreating and reconnecting large areas of wildlife habitat. As well as protecting wildlife this is helping to safeguard the ecosystems that we depend on for services like clean air and water.

  The Wildlife Trusts are also working to protect the UK’s marine environment. They are involved with many marine conservation projects around the UK, often surveying and collecting vital data on the state of our seas. Every year they run National Marine Week in August – a two-week celebration of our seas with hundreds of events taking place around the UK.

  All 47 Wildlife Trusts are members of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (Registered charity number 207238). To find your local Wildlife Trust visit wildlifetrusts.org

  Contents

  Introduction

  Earthworms

  Molluscs

  Crustaceans

  Insects

  Arachnids

  Amphibians

  Reptiles

  Birds

  Mammals

  Introduction

  Gardens in northern Europe are wonderful places to start watching wildlife, and even the smallest garden can support a variety of animals, from snails and spiders, to birds and small mammals. So many species can turn up in a garden that this book cannot include them all. It will, however, give you a good idea of the animals that can be found in your garden, and help you to identify them.

  Although gardens are somewhat artificial as environments, they usually have obvious traces of the habitat that they have replaced. Where houses have been built in what was once woodland, a garden may, for example, contain a mature oak tree, which attracts bird and insect species not found in other gardens. Where they have been built on farmland, there may be the remnants of hedges with their characteristic woodland edge fauna.

  Food & Behaviour

  Food, shelter and reproduction are the keys to an animal’s survival, and are important factors in identifying the species. Some of the animals that come into gardens may be unwelcome because they eat the plants grown by gardeners, while others should be encouraged because they feed on pest species and provide some control over their numbers.

  Animals occur at different seasons. The Swallow, for example, appears in March–April, and disappears in September–October, because it is a migrant. It breeds in continental Europe, and when the insects it eats become scarce, it flies south for the winter. Other birds change their habits to cope with the changes of food from season to season. Blackbirds concentrate on earthworms, insects and other invertebrates when they are plentiful in summer, but turn to berries and fruits in autumn and winter. It is in winter, when food is scarce, that birds are attracted most to gardens.

  The life cycle of all insects includes a number of stages, which take an insect throughout the year from egg to adult insect. The Peacock, a common garden butterfly, is first seen as the weather warms in March and it emerges from hibernation to breed. After May it seems to disappear, because the adults have bred and the new generation is going from eggs to larvae to pupae, to finally emerge as butterflies in July–September. On sunny days they can be seen feeding on the nectar of the last Michaelmas Daisies or the juices of rotting windfall fruits, before hibernating throughout the winter. In the depths of winter you might come across one in a corner of the garden shed or even in the house (do not disturb it if you do).

  Reproduction is, of course, an essential part of the lives of all animals. Birds sing in spring to proclaim that they hold a territory and to attract a mate. The flight of male Brimstone butterflies on warm spring mornings has the same purpose. You may notice other butterflies – as well as dragonflies – patrolling your garden in search of a mate. Having paired, birds find places in which to build nests and rear young, and there has to be sufficient food for their offspring. Insects have to find the foodplants on which their larvae can feed or, if they are predatory, enough of their prey.

  Making a Garden Fit for Wildlife

  If you garden in a non-harmful organic way, avoiding using herbicides and pesticides, you will attract wildlife, even though you may have a conventional short-cut lawn and formal herbaceous borders. During the breeding season, try to minimize disturbance to hedges and places where birds nest, and to compost heaps, which provide refuge for a host of wildlife from Hedgehogs and Grass Snakes, to earthworms and centipedes. Discourage cats, which are the greatest killers of garden wildlife.

  Attracting Wildlife

  Birds can be enticed to the smallest garden by putting out food such as kitchen scraps and seeds. They are also attracted by berry-bearing shrubs. Insects like bees, hoverflies and butterflies can be lured by planting bushes and flowering plants from which they can extract nectar and pollen.

  Shelter in the form of nestboxes attracts birds, but they will only nest if there is sufficient food in the form of small insects available, because even the seed-eating species feed their young on insects. Many insects and other invertebrates require shelter when they are not active, and if you look under leaf litter, logs and stones you will find them in large numbers. Hollow sticks held into a frame with chicken wire can provide holes in which solitary bees and wasps can nest. Compost heaps, as well as constituting a positive way of reusing waste, are important as places for invertebrates to live and breed in. They may also provide hibernation places for Hedgehogs, Grass Snakes and toads. A pond attracts frogs, toads, newts and aquatic insects, and provides birds and mammals with somewhere to drink and bathe.

  Common Earthworm

  Lumbricus terrestris

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Length 90–300mm. Bright pink to reddish-brown, sometimes with a violet tinge. Consists of about 150 segments with a reddish-orange citellum on segments 33–36. (The citellum is the armband-like swollen part on a fully grown worm’s body, which produces cocoons in which the worm’s embryos develop.) The largest of about 10 earthworm species found in British gardens.

  HABITAT

  Occurs across most of Europe in any soil that is not too wet or too acid.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Swallows soil and digests any organic material that it needs, expelling the rest.

  SIMILAR SPECIES

  Angler’s Red Worm (L. rubellus). 25–140mm long. Bright red-brown with a citellum on segments 28–31. Habitat and feeding as for Common Earthworm.

  Blue-grey Worm

  Octolasion cyaneum

  Length 40–180mm. Greyish-blue with a red citellum on segments 29–33 or 30–34. There are 150–165 body segments. Yellowish tail. Widespread in moist soils throughout Europe. Feeds beneath the soil on decaying material. Emits a thick milky fluid when disturbed.

  Brandling Worm

  Eisenia foetida

  Length 35–130mm. Red or purplish-brown with pale rings on each segment. Common in compost heaps and under rotting fallen tree trunks in much of Europe except far north. Feeds on richly organic material and is used in compost bin wormery. Emits a pungent yello
w liquid when handled.

  Chestnut Worm

  Lumbricius castaneus

  Length 30–70mm. Brown with a bright orange clitellum on segments 29–32. Widespread in Europe where soil is suitable. Absent from Spain and Portugal. Behaviour similar to that of Common Earthworm.

  Turgid Worm

  Allolobophora nocturna

  Length 90–180mm. Dark reddish-brown becoming purplish towards the rear end. Body has 200–246 segments. Found across most of Europe in any soil that is not too wet or too acid. Not as widespread as Long Worm (opposite). Swallows soil and digests organic material. Nocturnal.

  Long Worm

  Allolobophora longa

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Length 90–170mm. Clitellum covers 8–9 segments between segments 27–36. Body has 170–190 segments.

  HABITAT

  Widespread throughout Europe in gardens, on cultivated land and in woodland, on chalky or loamy soil.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Swallows soil, taking from it what it needs, and expelling the rest in the form of worm casts, which are often visible on the surface. In doing so it breaks up the soil, and helps to make it more fertile.

  Thunderworm

  Mermis nigrescens

  Length to 50 cm. Looks like a piece of brown or white cotton. Body not segmented. Occurs in soils across Europe, but more common in south than in north. Lives in soil, but emerges after rain and twines itself around low-growing plants. Female lays eggs on plants, which are eaten by insects. Young worms hatch inside insect and feed on its fluids, emerging on maturity to live in soil. Host is weakened but not necessarily killed.

  Earthworm

  Octolasion lacteum

  Length 25–160mm. Bluish with an orange or pink clitellum on segments 30–35. Body has 100–135 segments. Found under stones and logs, decaying leaves and compost in pasture, arable land and gardens. Widespread in southern and western Europe. Feeds beneath soil on decaying material.

  Potato Root Eelworm

  Globodera rostochensis

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Length to 30mm. Whitish nematode (roundworm). Males and juveniles of both sexes are mobile and threadlike. Also called Cyst Nematode and Root Nematode.

  HABITAT

  Farmland and gardens where potatoes are grown. Probably originated in Peru.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  After fertilization, females transform into spherical cysts 0.1–0.8mm across. This happens when the eggs develop and cause the body of the female to swell. She then becomes a cyst and dies. Each cyst contains 200–1,000 eggs, which can survive for up to 20 years in the cysts. New cysts are glossy brown and rounded; they pass through a yellow stage before rupturing. Hatching is favoured by humidity and a substance secreted by the host plant.

  Rounded Snail

  Discus rotundatus

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Shell diameter to 6mm. A disk snail with a pale yellow-brown shell that has broad reddish stripes. Body is grey.

  HABITAT

  Found everywhere except in the driest habitats. Very common in leaf litter and in garden compost heaps.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Feeds on decaying plant material and fungi.

  Brown-lipped Snail

  Cepaea nemoralis

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Shell diameter 18 x 22mm. Lip of shell usually brown, sometimes very pale. Shell colour straw to yellow, to pink to brown. Up to five dark spiral bands, but sometimes none.

  HABITAT

  Inhabits woods, hedges, rough vegetation and gardens (but less frequently than White-lipped Snail). Found across Europe, but not as far north as White-lipped Snail.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Eats grass and low-growing plants. Feeds at night and after rain, often alongside other species.

  SIMILAR SPECIES

  White-lipped Snail (C. hortensis). Shell diameter 14 x 17mm. Lip of shell is usually white, sometimes brown. Shell has up to five dark spirals, but may have none. Found in woods, hedges and gardens, especially in moist habitats. Occurs throughout Europe as far north as Iceland. Food and habits similar to those of Brown-lipped Snail.

  Strawberry Snail

  Trichia striolata

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Shell diameter 14mm. Colour of flattened-spiral shell varies from yellow to reddish-brown or purple, with a prominent white ring around the shell mouth.

  HABITAT

  Hedgerows, gardens and wasteland with plenty of moisture. Occurs from Britain across Europe to Hungary.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Mainly nocturnal, but also browses on plants after rain. Shelters under plants during the day.

  Garden Snail

  Helix aspersa

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Shell diameter 25–40mm. Large round shell with a wide, round white-lipped mouth. Shell is brown or yellowish with pale flecking and up to five darker spirals.

  HABITAT

  Parks, woods and wasteland throughout Europe. Frequently found in gardens, especially in northern regions, where it needs shelter from the winter cold.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Feeds on low-growing plants. Active at night, and congregates during the day at regular resting places.

  Kentish Snail

  Monacha cantiana

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Shell diameter to 20mm. Shell colour varies from off-white to reddish-pink, and is often darker near the mouth.

  HABITAT

  Long grass in hedge banks, wasteland, fields and herbaceous garden borders on calcareous soils. Widespread throughout southern and central Europe.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Feeds on decaying vegetation, including lawn grass cuttings.

  Great Pond Snail

  Lymnaea stagnalis

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Shell height 35–50mm; width 18–25mm. Pointed spiral shell is yellowish to dark brown.

  HABITAT

  Large calcium-rich ponds, and slow-flowing rivers and canals. Widely distributed across Europe, and common in many countries.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Feeds on algae and decaying vegetation. Eggs are laid in a sausage-shaped gelatinous sac on the undersides of leaves.

  Garlic Snail

  Oxychilus alliarius

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Shell diameter 6mm. A species of glass snail with a dark brown shell that is very glossy. Body is black. When disturbed it gives off a strong smell similar to that of garlic or onions, hence its common name.

  HABITAT

  Found in leaf litter in a range of habitats. Lurks under stones and in garden compost heaps.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Feeds mainly at night on fungi and rotting vegetation on the ground, but also climbs walls and trees on damp nights.

  Great Ram’s-horn Snail

  Planorbis corneus

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Shell diameter up to 35mm; height 12mm. The shape of the dark brown shell gives this large snail its common name.

  HABITAT

  Ponds, lakes and slow-flowing rivers. Also found in garden ponds because it is sold by aquarium dealers. Native range is from Europe to central Asia.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Feeds on algae on stones and plants. Its eggs, which are laid on stones, may be spread to other ponds whenever they stick to the feet of birds.

  Garden Slug

  Arion hortensis

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Length to 40mm. Bluish-black and paler on flanks, with an orange underside. Mucus is orange or yellow.

  HABITAT

  Most common on cultivated land, but can also be found in woods and gardens. Occurs throughout Europe except far north.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Eats any plants near the ground, and is a serious pest of strawberries, lettuces and seedlings.

  SIMILAR SPECIES

  Bourguignat’s Slug (A. fasciatus). To 40mm long. Body grey with dark patches. Similar t
o Garden Slug, but with a white underside. Found in gardens and woods. Feeds on fungi and decaying material.

  Large Black Slug

  Arion ater

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Length to 150mm; may reach 200mm when extended. Colour ranges from jet-black through orange, to creamy-white with an orange fringe. Back is covered with elongated tubercles. No keel. Sticky mucus.

  HABITAT

  Well-vegetated habitats throughout Europe to Iceland. Darker forms are most common in north, paler ones in south.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Nocturnal feeder on dung, plants and carrion. Eats grass cuttings after rain.

  Great Grey Slug

  Limax maximus

  Length to 200mm. Pale grey slug heavily marked with dark spots, appearing striped at the end of its body. Short keel on the rear end of the body. Inhabits woods, hedges and gardens, especially around compost heaps, in much of Europe except far north. Eats fungi and rotting plant material. Mating involves two individuals climbing a fence, tree trunk or wall, then lowering themselves on a string of mucus. Each of these hermaphrodites then lays eggs.

  Shelled Slug

  Testacella haliotidea

  Length to 120mm. Creamy-white or pale yellow body, with a small flat shell at the rear end. Dark lines run forwards at angles along the sides of the body. Lives in well-manured and well-drained soil in parks and gardens across western Europe. Main food is earthworms. It can extend its body to become narrow enough to follow worms down their holes.

  Netted Slug

  Deroceras reticulatum