The Regent's Park Wildlife Garden

It's getting cold!

2011-12-11T22:07:00.003Z

Don't forget the birds and the wildlife as the temperatures drop! Stock up on good quality bird food (from the RSPB or good supplier) and also ensure fresh water is available too, especially when the ponds and puddles freeze over.

Have a wonderful winter and we hope to see you in The Regent's Park Wildlife Garden in 2012!

A burst of colour!

2011-05-24T09:11:00.004Z

With Spring well and truly underway, now is the best time to come and visit our garden. With plants displaying beautiful colours and birds busy feeding their young, this tranquil oasis in the heart of London is a the perfect place to escape for a few minutes or hours and watch nature do it's dazzling thing!

A sad end to 2010

2010-12-28T23:29:00.002Z

We end 2010 on a rather sad note at The Regent’s Park Wildlife Community Garden. Jill Dickens, a long standing and devoted volunteer passed away on the 27th December after a battle with illness over the past few months.

Jill loved our garden, devoted many hours to it and it will be hard for us all to imagine not having her never ending energy and enthusiasm encouraging us all to put in some extra effort whenever it was needed.

When it seemed unlikely that Jill would be able to return to work in the garden, an oak tree was planted as a gift to her for all the hard work and devotion she gave.

She will be missed by us all.

Of all the trees that grow so fair, Old England to adorn, Greater are none beneath the Sun, Than Oak and Ash and Thorn. Sing Oak and Ash and Thorn, good Sirs (All of a Midsummer morn)! Surely we sing no little thing, In Oak and Ash and Thorn! Rudyard Kipling

Autumn

2010-11-04T17:32:00.002Z

Autumn is taking hold in our garden and there is lots of work to be done.

Leave clearing takes up a lot of time, clearing out the bird boxes is another chore and thinning out and tidying up the beds is also on the 'must do' list.

Our pond has had a rough time lately, so this week we've been planting around the border to encourage wildlife back. As you can see from the picture, leaves love our pond too. It's important to clear these otherwise they will rot at the bottom of the pond.

If you're thinking about adding a pond to your garden, check out http://www.pondconservation.org.uk/

Remember, when clearing up the leaves and debris, to check for hedgehogs. They love to hideaway in a bundle for the winter. WIth bonfire night looming too, please double check that none of our spiky friends have wandered into the wrong place. If you find one and don't know what to do, please contact http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/

100th Post!

2010-09-18T12:21:00.005Z

We celebrate the 100th blog entry with a some vibrant colour. As summer fades away, there is still plenty to see in our garden. The sunflowers are basking in the sunshine and the garden is full of wildlife including egyptian and canadian geese, bees, bats and plenty more.

Work has begun on renovating the pond. It didn't survive last winter and funding has been found to replace it with a new one ready for the next season. Ponds play an important role in the biodiversity of any wildlife garden. The provide breeding space for dragonfly, frogs and toads and are source of water for birds and mammals. If

you have space, think about creating your own. More information can be obtained from various organisations including http://www.pondconservation.org.uk/

We also have good news for cyclists. Users of Boris' bike scheme will be delighted to discover we have a bike docking station next to the entrance to our garden. (Just visible in the photograph above. There are three in The Regent's Park area, the other two are at ZSL London Zoo, one opposite the main entrance and the other in the main Zoo carpark. So, next time your pedalling around town, pop in and see our garden!

Burst of colour!

2010-07-16T15:08:00.001Z

While the summer moves on and the grass goes brown from the sunshine, there is always something adding a little colour to our garden!

Blooming marvellous!

2010-05-12T18:28:00.003Z

Even though London has been struggling with some very unseasonal weather, life continues to flower at the The Regent's Park Wildlife Garden.

All those long cold winter mornings with volunteers struggling to work through the rain, bitter wind and snow have paid off!

Come and see the results soon..........

Bursting with colour!

2010-04-22T21:40:00.004Z

The warm weather has certainly woken our garden up! Just a few of weeks ago, it looked a little tired and in need of some tender care.

This week it looks splendid with blossom everywhere, late flowering daffodils and enormous amounts of bird activity as they devour the tasty food on offer. As well as the usual birdsong, chiff-chaffs could be heard chirping loudly too.

Finally, it was a delight to discover some rare native plants growing. Fritillaria meleagris, common name snake's head fritillaries can be seen enjoying the Spring sunshine.

Busy day!

2010-04-14T19:54:00.005Z

Volunteers have been busy today planting a hazel copse in the wildlife garden close to the entrance. We're hoping that this native species will provide a green and pleasant covering for this once bare area that will prove attractive both to the birds and wildlife as well as our human visitors.

Sightings today included: Gt spotted woodpeckers (2), long tail tits (2), great tits (6), blue tits (6), greenfinches (2), egyptian geese (2), swans (4), coots (2), parakeets (2), crows (6), jays(2), magpies (3) and robin(1).

Attracting the birds in the city

2010-04-04T22:17:00.003Z

Many visitors to our wildlife habit live in central London and don't have a garden. However, don't put that off you feeding the birds at home!

Purchase a simple window feeder (available from the RSPB, WWT and all good wildlife organisations), fill it with good quality food (premium sunflower seeds attract an array of birds) and place it in a good window, away from any ledges that can be reached by cats and wait.

You may be lucky and get birds visiting your home within hours, though it's usual to wait a few days. Be patient!

Once you start feeding the birds, remember to fill the feeder regularly: once they start visiting, they begin relying on you for food, so don't let them down!

Somewhere over the park......

2010-03-27T20:27:00.002Z

Meanwhile elsewhere in The Regent's Park, after the rain poured one of our volunteers snapped our first rainbow of the year spanning the canal and into ZSL London Zoo.

Spring.

2010-03-27T20:19:00.004Z

Spring has finally arrived in NW1 with our Community Wildlife Garden already becoming very busy with wildlife.

The daffodils are blooming, ladybirds have been spotted (sorry...!) and the birds are gathering material for their nests.

In a few minutes our volunteers spotted (sorry again!) woodpeckers, blue, long-tail and great tits, greenfinches, bumblebees and robins.

It won't be long before the swifts arrive and the bats start visiting once again after what seems like a long hibernation.

So come and pay us and the wildlife a visit in our oasis of peace and wildlife in our brilliant capital city.

Birds flock to new feeders!

2010-02-19T18:38:00.002Z

Two new feeders have been installed at our garden and have proved to be an instant hit with our array of feathered friends.

Blue, great and long-tail tits have been seen in large numbers, our friendly robin is also seen enjoying the feast and two spotted woodpeckers are regular visitors as well.

Pop in soon and see them enjoying the sunflower seeds and nuts!

The big freeze continues!

2010-01-13T18:42:00.002Z

Work in the Wildlife Garden has come to a halt recently as it, like most of the country is covered in snow!

However, wildlife and particulary birds struggle to survive in these icy temperatures. Our feeders are getting extra attention from both the birds and the volunteers who are filling them as soon as the run out. Sightings this week include long tail tits, great and blue tits and a green woodpecker.

If you can, please put out extra food for your birds and where possible, water. Birds find it very difficult to find fresh water in these conditions, so a small bowl with clean tepid water left out in the morning will help.

Happy New Year!

Bats

2009-08-29T20:00:00.005Z

Apart from humans, dogs and hedgehogs, there is another mammal that likes to visit us.

Our garden is the ideal place to watch bats flying against the dusk sky. It is especially designed to attract insects and as a result attracts bats hunting for food.

Come just as the sun goes down, find yourself a bench and it won't be long before you see them darting through the sky feeding on the insects and moths.

This photograph is a common pipistrelle bat (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) flying through Regent's Park.

There are many myths surrounding bats in particular that they are blind and the other is they get caught in your hair! Neither is accurate and you have nothing to worry about. They are keen to leave you alone while they search for food.

Bats do not make nests, but choose various places throughout the year to roost. Some prefer hollow trees, others caves, some use both at different times. Many shelter in buildings, behind hanging tiles and boarding, or in roof spaces. Bats are clean and sociable animals and spend many hours grooming themselves.

For several weeks in summer, female bats choose somewhere warm to gather in a maternity roost.

Here they have their babies, staying until the young are able to fly and feed themselves. A bat mothernormally has only a single baby in a year, and not always every year.

In August the young bats are around six to eight and begin to catch insects for themselves and no longer need their mothers’ milk. The summer maternity colonies begin to disperse and bats may move to autumn mating roosts.

Bats are often found roosting in houses, both modern and old. You may realise that you have bats roosting in your house during the summer months, when they are most likely to be active. If you do think you have bats, call the Bat Helpline (0845 1300 228) and ask for a copy of our ‘Living with bats’ booklet, which gives advice and information for roost owners.

It is illegal to harm or disturb bats, or deliberately alter their roost sites without first seeking advice – call the Bat Protection Trust Helpline (above) for more information. Bats need everyone’s help and protection. For more information about Bat Walks, supporting bat conservation and what to do if you find an injured bat, visit www.bats.org.uk

What a difference a year makes.......

2009-08-12T21:19:00.003Z

Regular visitors to the garden and this blog will remember that last year we did some planting on the lake bank near the York Bridge. You can check out the entry for the 9th April 2008 to see the boggy mess!

A year later the once mud flat mess is filled with life. The rich plant life provides shelter for the birds, attracts an array of insects and maybe brightens a once dull corner of the lake.

The Garden is currently filled with Great Tits, many of them young birds that hatched this year. At one point today there were 20 sitting in the trees taking turns to gorge on the feeders will fill with nuts and seeds.

Next time you visit our garden, take a seat and within a minute or two watch the garden come to life.

Attention Geocachers!

2009-07-28T21:40:00.004Z

A bit of help for 'geocachers' visiting the Wildlife Garden!

Curious? Visit www.geocaching.com

Hercules the hedgehog

2009-07-16T14:43:00.005Z

The main aim of the Regent’s Park Wildlife Garden is to provide a safe and friendly environment for people to visit and wildlife to flourish.

Our non-intrusive gardening policy avoids the use of chemicals wherever possible, to use native plants that need little water to avoid draining precious resources and enrichment that includes a pond and bog to further the biodiversity of the garden.

Much of it is left to grow wild to provide cover for birds, to encourage butterflies and hopefully a safe haven for hedgehogs.

While we have seen plenty of birds,bats,dragonflies, butterflies, insects and moths, hedgehogs have never been seen in our garden even though Regent’s Park is the only park in London that has them. As nocturnal creatures, the chances of ever seeing them were remote!

That all changed yesterday. While doing some routine work, we discovered a baby hedgehog had fallen into a well. He was covered in mud and had no way of escaping. Fortunately, using a very thick pair of gloves, we were able to pull him out into safety.

Although covered in thick mud, it was clear that with some quick action, his chances of survival were good, so two volunteers rushed him off to a vet who deals with wild animals in distress.

After being cleaned up and given a tasty meal consisting of wet cat food, he was given the all clear this morning to return.

Once again, two volunteers went to Wood Green, collected the hedgehog and brought him back to the Park.

We’re pleased to report that Hercules was released back into a secluded area of the park and after a few seconds of getting his bearings, he dashed under cover for some well earned rest.

All the volunteers learnt a lot in 24 hours about hedgehogs!

The latin name is Erinaceus and our own British hedgehog is scientifically known as Erinaceus europaeus; it is the same species that occurs throughout most of the continent of Europe. In Britain it is found almost everywhere except some of the Scottish Islands, but tends to be scarce or absent from wet areas and pine forests. Uplands and mountainsides are not popular, probably because they lack both suitable food and suitable nesting places. Hedgehogs are well established in our urban habitat and can, somewhat surprisingly, survive very well in our cities, making extremely good use of cemeteries, railway land, wasteland and both public and private gardens.

They are a protected species and it is an offence to deliberately harm them. They are also in decline and need all the help and support they can get. If you are interested in doing your bit, whether in with hedgehog friendly gardening, or supporting the charities that work hard to look after them we found these organisations helpful:

http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/ proved to be a valuable resource as well as http://www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk/ We’d also like to thank J F Staton and his assistant for caring for Hercules for absolutely no charge. If you live in North London and need any veterinary help, then give them a call on 020 8888 4523

Live in a London flat?

2009-07-14T10:55:00.004Z

Visitors to our Wildlife Garden often tell us how they wished they lived in a house with a garden rather than in a flat.

The good news for the many Londoners (or any city dweller in fact) is that if you live in an apartment, attracting birds is fairly easy.

All you need is a stick-on bird feeder which you can purchase from the RSPB online site, fill it with tasty food and within a few days you should get lots of feathered visitors.

Volunteer Darren says 'It took a while for the birds to discover the feeder, but once they know it's there, providing the food is good quality, they will come back for more. The most frequent visitor is the Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) who love to gorge themselves on sunflower seeds. (This photo is the feeder on my window). I've tried mixed of food and discovered they don't like it (they toss the non sunflower element to one side for the pigeons!) and niger seed (which they love but it causes a terrible mess!).'

'The record I have so far is 18 goldfinches! Two perched on the feeder, three hanging on the wall waiting patiently and the others sitting on the tv aerials of the houses opposite my flat.

I also get the occasional Blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) and Great tit (Parus major) but Goldfinches are by far my favourite visitors!'

Foxgloves

2009-05-21T12:29:00.003Z

Foxgloves have started to appear in the Wildlife Garden and most of the trees are now looking fantastic in their full glory. Pop in and enjoy the colour!

The newt has a new hair cut....

2009-04-28T20:57:00.003Z

Issac has a new hairstyle.....come visit him soon!

Butterflies

2009-04-27T18:14:00.002Z

Today's Guardian newspaper has an interesting feature on the decline of Britain's butterflies.

We have lots of butterflies visiting us at the Regent's Park Wildlife Garden largely due to the plants we select to attract them. We also leave an area of nettles that attracts tortoiseshell and red admirals.

If you have a garden, you can do your bit by planting buddleia, ice-plant and michaelmas daisy. If you only have a window-box, try lavender.

You can read the Guardian article here: http://tiny.cc/W5ZJg

http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/

Spring continues!

2009-04-24T19:40:00.003Z

The Wildlife Garden is blooming marvellous at the moment! The blossom looks gorgeous, the bog is flowering and attracting lots of bees and the frog spawn has hatched and tadpoles have been spotted enjoying the pond.

There is plenty of bird activity too. A woodpecker can be heard all day long...the tapping must be giving him a headache! There are plenty of finches and tits (blue, long-tail and great) to be seen as well and the herons pop in from time to time.

The Garden is open to all during day-light hours and offers peace and quiet from the madness of our great city, so pop in and enjoy it soon.

Soundbench

2009-04-01T17:15:00.006Z

The wildlife garden has an interesting new addition...an interactive soundbench!

Take a seat to hear the following tales from the local community on how our parks are such special places

Hey, this is what we did

You don't have to be in the country

Here and in my country

Nothing beautiful left

Our Royal Parks

Listen out for special guest Theo Walcott!

Wild in the Parks would like to thank the following people for their wonderful contributions to the projects community wildlife garden soundbench: St. Augustine's CE High School, Uxendon Manor School, Brent Asian Women’s Resource Centre, Theo Walcott, Louise Clark, Jacqueline Weir, Anna Chrempinska, Odonelle, Nadia Penn, Mahmoud Elhaj, Lindy Leonce, Rebecca and Alison, Rachel Fancy, Catriona Corfield, Patrick Nicholson and The British Library.

Also a big thank you to RSPB and The Royal Parks for making it all possible and of course everyone else who participated and helping to make the project such a success

Daffs

2009-03-25T13:20:00.002Z

Daffodils enjoying the sunshine in the wildlife garden.

Spring has sprung

2009-03-25T13:13:00.002Z

After what feels like a very long winter, signs of the new season have appeared in the garden. Daffodils everywhere, birds are nesting and we had our first frog sighting of the year!

Can you spot the frog?

Happy New Year!

2009-01-05T23:03:00.002Z

All the team here at the Regent's Park Wildlife Garden wish you a very happy new year.

Don't forget during these freezing nights and days to ensure your birds have access to plenty of food and water. Fresh water freezes making it difficult for our birds to survive, so providing them with a fresh supply, in a safe place will help them get through the day. For more information about feeding birds during the winter visit www.rspb.org.uk

Signs of winter......

2008-11-20T22:52:00.003Z

It may have been a beautifully mild and sunny day, but the Wildlife Garden has hints of the season looming!

The end of autumn and winter looms!

2008-11-20T22:34:00.004Z

19th November was a beautiful morning in the Wildlife Garden.

The sun was shining through the autumnal leaves, the birds were gorging on the food we supply preparing for the winter ahead and the volunteers cleared the left over summer detritus from the flower beds and the pond.

There was plenty of activity on the bird front too.

We have three squirrel proof bird feeders. Two contain sunflower seeds and one is filled with peanuts. Over the year, we've noticed that the birds we have in the garden prefer the sunflowers seeds!

Feeder one is always the first on the route for our birds. It attracts all kinds of tits, chaffinches and the occasional squirrel!

Feeder two is very close to feeder one and that contains the nuts. However, once feeder one is empty, the birds fly beyond the pond to feeder three (filled with sunflower seeds) to empty that! Once that has all gone, they will begrudgingly eat the nuts.

As one of the volunteers filled the seeds, the birds immediately boycotted the nut feeder and queued up for their turn at the seed. As this picture taken on Wednesday morning shows, sunflower seeds are very popular indeed.

As the colder days loom and natural food becomes scarcer, it's time to ensure you have plenty of bird food on hand for the birds that live in and around your garden. If you don't have one, think about buying a window feeder.

It may take a few days or even a couple of weeks to attract them, but once your local birds realise the feast you are offering is too difficult to resist! Buy your food from a reputable retailer. Haith's and the RSPB both offer excellent selections!

More summer memories!

2008-10-17T20:15:00.004Z

Summer remembered.....

2008-10-17T20:02:00.004Z

It was a spectacular summer in the Wildlife Garden this year.

An array of colour burst into bloom at various times of year and we attracted many wild visitors including bats, bees, heron, blue/great tits, goldfinches, frogs and the occasional human too!

Enjoy our look back at the year........

Autumn is on the way.

2008-09-24T09:50:00.002Z

Visitors to the Wildlife Garden will see that many of the plants are turning to seed and coming to the end of their flowering season. The grey squirrels continue to be a nuisance digging up our beds as the pointlessly bury food!

Now is the time to start looking after your garden birds with extra food and water. They will be preparing for the onset of winter, so stock up on your seeds, give the feeders a good clean and set them up in sheltered areas away from any danger.

If you live in a flat, you can buy feeders that stick to your window and they will provide a good food source for the birds and hours of entertainment for you!

More about ponds

2008-08-05T16:06:00.002Z

Even a small pond the size of a washing up bowl can be useful for wildlife. The important thing is to have some plants that allow animals to hide and also the herbivores to eat. A shallow edge which allows animals to climb in and out is also valuable. If you have your pond in a tub make sure you put some sort of step in it for the same purpose.

A stone can be a useful place for a frog or other creature to hide in your pond and a mix of plants that float on the surface and emerge from the water is ideal. Frogs are wonderful animals to encourage into your garden because they may eat pests such as slugs for you. As they can spend very little of the year in water make sure then that you have some vegetation where they can hide and some stones or logs where they can overwinter.

Mating on the bog!

2008-07-16T13:39:00.003Z

The Regent's Park Wildlife Garden features a pond and bog to encourage insects, amphibians and birds.

Over the past weeks we've spotted a number of different types of dragonfly.

Today dragonflies were flirting with each other in and around the bog!

Ponds and bogs are an extremely important feature in any garden to encourage biodiversity, so if you have space in yours, think about installing one.

Rain!

2008-07-15T11:51:00.002Z

Following on from the last post about how important water is, last week there was some welcome rain for the garden. It may seen to us that it wasn't long since it had rained but plants grow best if the soil has a top up of rain every 2-3 weeks.

At the moment the weather is tempting out the butterflies in the garden, though there are still very few of them around compared to some other years. This morning a speckled wood and small white were flying in the garden, with many bees finding nectar in the raised bed.

Water in the garden

2008-06-24T15:49:00.002Z

Water is very important to animals at this time of year. The pond in the wildlife garden is providing a source of water for birds to drink from.

If you watch, you will also see damselflies flying and hovering across the pond, as well as laying their eggs on some of the foliage that emerges from the water. Pond skaters can be seen skimming across the top, tracking down flies and other small insects that may fall onto the surface.

During a drier period of weather such as we are having now, we are having to keep the adjacent bog topped up with water. Fortunately we can link a hose to the main lake and use this to ensure the bog plants have enough water to live!

Summer is here!

2008-06-11T15:27:00.009Z

A few months ago, the Regent's Park Wildlife Garden looked drab and dull as it recovered from a wet and windy winter!

A visit to the garden now reveals a completely different picture.

The garden is buzzing with life - dragonflies, great tits, bumble-bees, honey bees and bush crickets were all spotted within a few minutes of arriving.

If you have a moment or two, come and pay us a visit!

Bumble Bee......

Colour fills the garden......

Every shade......

Check out the blog from 26/3/08 and look at the same flower bed now......

Strange creatures were also spotted, yet to be identified!

2008-05-09T10:48:00.002Z

Some of the plants in the wildlife garden were chosen because they attract moths - such as honeysuckle and evening primrose. Many of these flowers are scented during the evening when most moths start searching for nectar.

Across the country moths are heavily in decline and Butterfly Conservation Trust has set up a garden moth count. Why not join in during June, whether in your own space or in the Community Wildlife Garden?

http://www.mothcount.brc.ac.uk/default.aspx

Spring evening

2008-04-17T22:46:00.002Z

The sun drenched the garden this evening, making this peaceful haven in the middle of London a delight to be in. A Great Crested Grebe paid a visit, as did an unwelcome squirrel. Fortunately, the food was safe, for the moment at least!

Wild moments in the park.

2008-04-17T20:32:00.005Z

Spring continues to try and do its thing battling with the unpredictable weather.

The Garden looked stunning in the sunshine with plants flowering and trees in blossom.

Spring colour

2008-04-17T19:31:00.003Z

The Regent's Park/RSPB Wildlife Garden was awash with colour and wildlife today as spring attempted to take hold once again.

Mud mud, glorious mud.

2008-04-09T21:08:00.003Z

Royal Park staff were joined by RSPB volunteers today to plant reeds in the lake by the Wildlife Garden.

Sadly one volunteer got stuck in the mud but was soon rescued and given a less sticky assignment!

Once the reeds grow over the summer, they will provide cover for an abundance of wildlife.

Spring is taking hold in the Garden with lots of activity from our resident robins, blue and great tits, woodpeckers, coots and of course mallard ducks.

Blossom is also starting to appear on our cherry trees and all the hard work over winter is beginning to pay off.

Volunteers also checked out the garden for a 'Geocache' spot. If you're new to 'geocaching', put simply it's a digital treasure hunt using sat-nav systems. Sounds complicated? It's not! All you need is a handheld GPS unit (like the one in your phone perhaps) and off you go.

Regent's Park is full of 'treasure' - check out www.geocaching.com for more information and join the hunt. You may even find some RSPB collectables if you do!

Talking of treasure, don't forget to visit the tennis cafe next to the RSPB Wildlife Garden. Not only can you rest your heavy legs while sipping a latte, but you can put £1 in the RSPB box and get yourself an RSPB badge.

Led up the garden path!

2008-04-03T16:50:00.002Z

The Regent's Park Wildlife Garden was closed today while the Park team laid the new pathway through the garden.

The path will allow visitors to get an excellent view of the bird feeders, ponds, flowers and plants without having to stray to far on muddy, rainy days.

The amount of wildlife attracted to the garden continues to rise with finches, woodpeckers, long tail, blue and great tits all visiting with great regularity.

If you are interested in learning more, here are two events for your diary:

24th April Guided walk around the Wildlife Garden - 12.30 -1.15pm
Find out more about wildlife gardening and the wildlife that lives in Regent's Park Community Wildlife Garden. To book please phone 020 7935 7430. The meeting point will be given on booking.

26th April Pots, plants and paints
Community Wildlife Garden 11.30am - 3.30pm
Family event - plant your own seeds, make recycled flower pots and decorate your pots with paint. A bumblebee trail will be running at 12pm and 2pm. 020 7935 7430 for more information.

If you can't make either of those dates, check this site for more events throughout the year.

Preparing for Spring!

2008-03-26T15:48:00.004Z

Gill and Jill, two RSPB volunteers worked hard today preparing the beds for the spring. You can also see the newt in the background with further protection added to keep the pigeons off!

Darren was busy adding mulch to the flower-beds.

The signs of Spring continue - many of the trees are now budding, the birds are busy nesting and another array of daffodils have flowered.

The Blue Tits and Great Tits continue to use the feeders and the Woodpecker pops in now and again too.

If you're planning to visit the garden, there is a cafe less than a minute away, so grab a cuppa, buy an RSPB badge then make your way to the Garden and wait patiently for the wildlife to arrive!

Seeding the Newt!

2008-03-24T21:30:00.003Z

After a damp winter and spring, the Newt has been reseeded and hopefully will be sprouting soon.....in the meantime it's out of bounds to both visitors and pigeons! The rest of the garden however is still open for all to enjoy.

Birds on the seed feeder

2008-03-12T17:07:00.005Z

The photos above of a robin, and blue tit and great tit on the seed feeder were taken by one of the garden volunteers, Darren, today. The feeders are still proving popular and one of the nest boxes looks like it is being explored as a potential home by blue tits. See the photos below - also taken by Darren.

Blue tit exploring the nest box in the wildlife garden

2008-03-12T17:03:00.002Z

Signs of spring

2008-03-07T15:11:00.004Z

This time of year, look out for frog spawn in ponds and other water bodies. It's warm enough now for frogs to be active after their winter hibernation and laying their eggs or spawn in water. Last week, frog spawn appeared in our pond in the wildlife garden so excitingly in only its first full spring, there will be tadpoles swimming around in it.

Birds have been collecting twigs and leaves for their nests for a couple of weeks now. Different bird species lay their eggs at different times within spring, timed so the baby birds have the best chance of survival. The herons in the park have been on their nests since January. Blue tits on the other hand lay their eggs in late April or early May in order that the chicks hatch when there are most caterpillars around to feed them.

Beams in the wildlife garden

2008-02-19T16:28:00.004Z

Two giant oak beams were lifted into place to finish the entrance to the wildlife garden. They have come all the way from some fallen down trees in Richmond Park in southwest London.

The garden is coming to life again now, but the recent frosts have slowed the growth of the new shoots. However the warm weather due towards the end of this week should help them along. This is one of the best times to look for birds in the park as they are singing loudly and showing themselves off. As the leaves aren't on the trees, they can be seen that much easier.

The garden is open all year round to the public during daylight hours. It is located off York Bridge and is adjacent to the tennis courts.

Big Schools Birdwatch

2008-02-05T15:43:00.000Z

Over the last 2 weeks, The International Community School has been carrying out the Big Schools Birdwatch in the wildlife garden. They saw 4 blue tits, 3 great tits, 2 jays, 3 carrion crows, 2 wood pigeons and 2 blackbirds.

These results go into the large pool of data that the RSPB has collected over the last 2 weeks not only from schools carrying out the birdwatch in their schoolgrounds or local park, but from the hundreds of thousands of people across the country who send in results from their gardens.

The Big Garden Birdwatch and Big Schools Birdwatch have now collected over 25 years worth of data, identifying trends such as the decline in house sparrow numbers in London.

Winter morning in the wildlife garden

2007-12-19T10:20:00.000Z

The garden took on a white look last week when we had several frosts. The pond was frozen over but as it is 80cm in depth it won't freeze all the way down, not with the milder winters we get in south east England. As you can see from the photo we have left seed heads for food for birds and kep some of the old summer plant cover for insects to shelter in over the winter.

Community Wildlife Garden wins Westminster in Bloom Award

2007-12-06T16:34:00.000Z

More digging...

2007-11-19T11:33:00.000Z

On Saturday morning we started digging out 3 new beds, all about the same size. These will be planted with wildlife-friendly shrubs and trees such as berberis, hazel and dog rose.

They are located between the seating by the pond and the tennis courts and have been placed to break up the view of the tennis courts, much like the trees further along the wildlife garden do.

Weather permitting, the beds will be planted in a couple of weeks. Unfortunately we dug out the beds too late to catch the frosts that we had last week which would have broken the soil down nicely, but we'll keep our fingers crossed for a couple more frosts after this wet weather period!

Bats in the park

2007-11-08T10:04:00.000Z

Over the last few weeks, bats will have been finding places to hibernate over the winter period. Our bat boxes have been installed in the trees for several weeks now, but it is unikely they will be used this winter. It is known that bat boxes often have to be around for several years before they get used.

Maybe our boxes will be used for a summer home one year. Summer is when bats form their maternity roosts, where the bats have their young and these can be returned to year after year.

We may never know if the boxes have been used. It is illegal to disturb bats so, unlike the bird boxes, we will never be cleaning the bat boxes out!

Bird feeders galore

2007-10-31T16:18:00.000Z

Over 100 people came to visit the wildlife garden last Saturday to discover more about birds and what they can do to help the birds that live near them. Families took part in bird trails, made bird feeders to take home as well as for the wildlife garden and played some of the bird feeding games that were on offer. The face painting was particularly popular!

It was a great day to be out in the park (though the shower of rain in the afternoon could have stayed away), with plenty of birds on the nearby bird feeder including great tits, blue tits and a great spotted woodpecker.

Spring bulbs

2007-10-26T09:10:00.000Z

25 people came to help plant bulbs in the wildlife garden this week. Autumn is the best time for planting bulbs and it is really good to know that we were planting things that were not only going to provide some colour in the garden in spring, but that the flowers will be providing early nectar sources for bees.

We put in bluebell and snowdrop bulbs, along with some wood anemone rhizomes. The bulbs were put in under the trees along with red campion plug plants so that during the spring we will have a mix of white, blue and then red flowers. The anemones were put under a different tree, along by a hedge as they don't usually grow with grass and like leaf-rich soil.

Completion of the newt

2007-10-09T08:30:00.000Z

A group from Kinsbury Manor Day Centre visited the wildlife garden for the second time yesterday. They came to finish the newt sculpture! The newt now has a crest of wild flowers along its back and its eyes and nostrils have been completed with mosaic tiling. It looks great!

The flowers forming its crest are the purple-flowering selfheal and autumn hawkbit, which has yellow flowers. Both of these will withstand people walking on them so the newt will still be accessible to sit and climb onto.

Planting this week

2007-10-03T13:08:00.000Z

This week sees us planting some bergenias in the front garden; these are plants that are tolerant of shade and will hopefully still bloom well in the dry and shady conditions caused by the nearby London plane trees.

We are also planting some Dog violet plug plants into the sides of the raised bed. The wooden roundels, that make up the sides of the raised bed, came from old children's playground equipment and have holes in their sides where the bolts used to sit. We are going to use these to plant the Dog violets into.

Bog revival

2007-09-24T12:18:00.000Z

The bog has been one of the least successful areas we planted in the spring because we have had difficulty getting the water level right. During the wet summer, the water level was above the crowns of the plants killing many of them.

Last Saturday we put some more soil in the bog and replanted the end which had died off. We all thought it was a glorious day to be outside getting down to some gardening.

In the past we haven't wanted to create too many holes in the liner, but now we have been given a water supply to the pond using the pump which takes water up to the top of the cascade into the lake. This means that we can add water to the bog from the pond whenever we want so we can make additional holes in the liner as we need to.

Garden Wins Westminster in Bloom Competition!

2007-09-06T16:19:00.000Z

The Community Wildlife garden has won 1st prize in the prestigious Westminster in Bloom competition! Judges were impressed with the variety of wildlife friendly features on display and with the sustainable methods that are being used within the garden. The award recognises all the hard work that volunteers and community groups have put into creating such a fantastic garden for wildlife. We'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who's been involved so far.

Towards the end of summer

2007-08-28T14:16:00.001Z

It feels like the sunshine has only just appeared, but for many plants and animals the summer is already over. Some of our flowers are coming to the end of their flowering season and annuals such as the pot marigolds are beginning to look a little past their best!

We won't be cutting many of the dead stems down as insects such as ladybirds and lacewings use these for hibernating in. Also many of the plants' seedheads will be providing food for animals for a while to come yet!

The pond is the only place where we will remove most of the dead vegetation and this is because we don't want too much of it falling into the pond. Too much rotting vegetation causes the pond to become depleted of oxygen, which isn't good news for the pond animals.

During August it has been more difficult to see the birds as many of them go through their moult. However this period has nearly past and we are starting to see the wrens and dunnocks looking for food again in our flower beds.

Pond comes to life

2007-08-13T13:42:00.000Z

The pond is starting to come to life. It is now full of oxygenating plants which are keeping the water clear and the floating leaved plants are starting to cover the water surface. Dragonflies are flying around the top of it and pond skaters are skimming the surface.

We are now getting a water supply linked from the nearby lake to the pond so that we can always top the pond up as the water level drops. This will be great when we get periods without any rain.

Today a dunnock was spotted using the pond to drink from and a wren was spotted in the flower beds using the denser plants as cover at the end of last week.

Flowers of the garden

2007-08-08T09:35:00.000Z

These red flowers, on plants called sneezeweed, are proving very popular with bees. These are in the circular raised bed that we built which has been planted with nectar-rich flowers. The purple flower is a cardoon which is like a giant thistle. The flowers of these are also full of nectar but the seeds produced later this year will be eaten by birds.

More rain!

2007-07-27T10:00:00.000Z

More rain fell on the garden this week; we have certainly saved time in watering effort this year! The garden is flourishing with the mix of sun and rain and more flowers are appearing all the time.

This week the Angelica gigas came into bloom and its red flowers are proving highly attractive to bumblebees.

The bog is back filled with water again and some of the plants are struggling a bit as they are spending too long covered with water, rather than just their roots being in water. However we can hopefully rectify that later in the year by putting some more earth into the bog and raise the plants' crowns above the water level.

Summer in the garden

2007-07-20T11:26:00.000Z

Newt-tastic

2007-07-20T11:10:00.000Z

We finally finished our earth sculpture this week after many hours of hard work and it is looking great. Even if we do say so ourselves...

The eyes will be finished with mosaic and we will also plant some wild flower plugs later in the year when the grass has established.

Just as long as these storms don't wash the whole sculpture away!

2007-07-09T09:08:00.000Z

At the weekend, the head of the newt turned green! It was clad with a clay and straw mixture before being turfed. We are now ready to cover the rest of the newt this coming week!

Rain makes garden flourish!

2007-07-06T15:39:00.000Z

A whole different range of plants are now coming into flower. Our clematis on the obelisk has come out and will hopefully produce lots of wonderful seed heads in the autumn.

Also coming into flower are the Echinacea and the Echinops both of which have nectar for bees and butteflies. The red hot pokers are also good for nectar, which not only insects love, but birds love to drink too.

The pond is starting to look a bit more established and the floating leaved plants are beginnning to spread. And the new bird feeders are providing regular food for the great tits and also spotted on the feeder has been a great spotted woodpecker.

A giant newt!

2007-07-02T11:42:00.000Z

It poured, the wind blew and the sun shone, yet a determined team of volunteers battled on to create a giant earth sculpture of a newt in Regent’s Park over the weekend.

First, the shape was cut into the existing turf. Next, the profile was created with clay and straw before bags of earth were used to form the three-dimensional body of the giant five metre long amphibian. Time defeated us in creating the sculpture over the weekend, but this week, we will be cladding it with clay and turfing it.

Summer in the garden

2007-06-14T12:08:00.001Z

2007-06-14T12:05:00.000Z

2007-06-14T11:59:00.000Z

Garden looking great

2007-06-05T16:01:00.000Z

After the rain of May the garden is growing extremely well and blossoming in June's sunshine. Volunteers have put in lots of hard work to keep it looking tidy.

The birdfeeder has only been up a few days and already a family of great tits are feeding on the peanuts. We have also put up 2 bird boxes ready for next spring when we hope that something will make use of them!

Plenty of bees and butterflies are flying around the garden and we have seen our first broad-bodied chaser dragonflies around the pond.

Water, and more water

2007-05-14T09:27:00.000Z

The bog is now starting to look mroe like a bog again and the plants are enjoying the rain. We have planted some more pond plants and these are starting to help the pond look established. The grass between the two areas will become thicker and longer linking the bog and pond habitats, and making it easier for animals to travel between the two.

The oxygenating plants are now growing well so the water will start to clear and the higher oxygen content in the water should allow the animal life to flourish. The stones at the edges of the pond are great hiding places for animals to live and as the floating leaved plants grow and create more shade, we hope that the pond will be an ideal home for dragonflies, frogs and the smaller animals such as water snails.

Rain at last

2007-05-09T15:12:00.000Z

Some welcome rain came at the start of this week and as I am writing this it is raining again. The plants need the rain at the moment after this dry period.

We have put a couple of tubs out in the front garden now. Plants in tubs can attract wildlife such as bees and butterflies if they are planted with some nectar rich plants. Any plant though is better than no plant - something will use it to live!

Spring planting complete

2007-04-30T09:32:00.000Z

This previous week has seen the completion of all the planting to be done this spring. A group from the Centre of Filipinos came in to plant the remaining empty raised bed. Some of the plants they put in were ones that they had sown the seed for, nearly a year ago.

On Saturday the remaining plants were put into the two beds by volunteers and some of the marginal plants were put around the ledges of the pond. We will be buying some pond oxygenating plants such as hornwort and water violet now they are into the nurseries. These plants grow in the water and keep the water high in oxygen content, allowing animals to thrive.

Raised bed planted

2007-04-23T17:00:00.000Z

A fine day last week when the raised bed was planted by a local Chinese community group. It was great fun finishing off the bed and the group also planted some seeds in pots to take away for their own window ledges.

This raised bed is full of scented plants including those whose night-time aroma attracts moths. We are looking forward to the rest of the planting being completed this week.

We are hoping still for some rain as the garden is becoming dryer and the shrubs and hedges in particular will start struggling. There is a posibility of a shower later in the week - we'll keep our fingers crossed!

Sunshine in the garden

2007-04-16T10:46:00.000Z

Many of the flowers are out and blooming already and the sunshine is making everything look wonderful. Already Holly blue and Speckled wood butterflies have been spotted.

The rest of the planting is due to be completed in the next 2 weeks and then the garden will start to look finished with the pond and raised beds being the final areas to plant.

We are hoping for some rain this week, though the forecast is predicting sunshine, so that our plants can really settle in. Watering is more important for plants during their first year planted out as their roots aren't established.

Hard landscaping finished

2007-03-15T08:41:00.000Z

A great day yesterday when the hard landscaping was finished. Once the bench is secure, we can take the fencing down and the area will be open to the public. Now all it needs is the finishing touches: more hedge to be planted, plants to be put in the new raised bed and the water butt to be fixed! Roll on next Thursday when some of this will be completed...

Second raised bed built

2007-03-12T13:35:00.000Z

The second raised bed has been made out of wooden roundels and is now nearly finished. It is in a fairly shady and dry situation, so we will be planting it up with shade-tolerant plants which can withstand periods of dry weather. We are hoping to grow plants that will be beneficial to insects and other minibeasts and we have some night scented plants which attract moths.

The bog we planted last week is now drying out after a very wet February. With the liner underneath it should stay damp throughout the summer but we may need to top it up from the lake if we have a drought.

Bogged down

2007-03-05T16:51:00.000Z

We all got rather wet and muddy on Saturday when it was time to plant the bog area of the wildlife garden. We were joined by a group of 12-13 year olds who helped us plant a range of water-loving plants like water avens, meadowsweet, purple loosestrife, ragged robin and rushes.

Although we put boards down to protect the surrounding grass, by the time we had finished for the afternoon, it wasn't just the bog that looked a bit of a quagmire! We weren't too worried though as grass recovers quickly.

The bog is adjacent to the pond and provides shelter and cover for a range of animals such as frogs which might for example, use our log pile to hibernate under.

Volunteers back for more.

2007-02-23T09:41:00.000Z

Volunteers arrived yesterday to spend another day working on the garden. You would forgive the group for being less enthusiastic second time around but arriving in the rain and the wind they showed no signs of flaking or disengagement. Their keenness was inspiring and they portrayed admirable enthusiasm as they knuckled down to get the jobs done. The main objective of the day was to add more plants in the raised beds, the plants were carried into the garden and their suitable spot on the raised bed was found, then the planting begun. Vast numbers of plants added meant that before our very eyes appeared a rippled green sea of foliage with waves of purple, yellow and white. The progress was amazing and the whole team felt a huge sense of achievement as we left for lunch.

The trellis was still standing much to the relief of the volunteers who put it up! Time was spent planting Ivy next to the structure which looked really good. The plants are obviously small at the moment but with the support of the trellis and the care of the volunteers it wont be long until they act as a shield for the front garden and a safe getaway for the resident birds.

Last job on the list was to empty the bog, the next volunteers day involves planting in the pond and wet area so the water needed to be drained before doing this. It was the bog that needed emptying as it inevitably had gotten really wet during the rainy weather. It was the job of two members of the Wild in the Parks trio; Martyn and Rachel to do, not the nicest job in the world as I'm sure Martyn would agree. However it's done, so we're all ready for the next action packed day in the garden!

Garden enjoyed by hundreds of visitors

2007-02-21T16:07:00.000Z

The Garden was put to the test on Saturday 17th during the Nest Box Challenge day held at Regents Park. The day was a great success partly because the visitors were able to use the Wildlife Garden and get a taste of what it’ll be like when it is all finished. The garden was home of the nature trial that made up part of the exciting day. Children and adults followed the trail that led them around the garden highlighting the fantastic things that will be on offer to them once the garden is complete. The garden looked great, being just a few days after the volunteers had given it a good tidy up, and the mild weather meant there was plenty of wildlife to see. The garden really did do us proud and possibly for the first time we realised the full potential of this wonderful space.

The event also gave people a chance to ask the team about the garden, we had crowds of people asking interesting questions, needing adivce and giving some imaginative ideas, it was great to gain such positive interest and feedback. Remember if you have any questions or ideas get in touch, we love hearing from you!

An army of volunteers

2007-02-20T15:22:00.000Z

Thursday saw an army of fantastic volunteers (well 11 of them) decend on the wildlife garden to help with everything from building a new trellis to planting some of the larger plants in our flower beds. The trellis will provide a great vertical surface for wildlife friendly plants such as ivy and honeysuckle to grow up.

In London where space is always hard to come by (for both people and wildlife) it's good to look for clever ways to increase the area where you can grow plants that will attract and support wildlife. Planting up vertical surfaces and putting a green roof on our shed are just two of the methods we're trying in the wildlife garden. Please let us know if you have any other space saving ideas that have worked for you.

Snow in the garden!

2007-01-29T17:15:00.000Z

Another week for the wildlife garden and all seems to be holding up well, despite the garden experiencing its first snow. The turf is looking a bit bumpy but unfortunately it was really too wet when it was laid. However like the hedge, you need to get turf down quite quickly once it has been dug up so the roots don't dry out. Later when the ground is dryer in the spring, we will lift the uneven areas of turf and put some soil underneath to flatten it out.

Planting hedges

2007-01-22T15:08:00.000Z

Volunteers planting the privet hedge would have found it easier if the ground wasn't quite so wet! However the hedge plants we ordered were bare-rooted which meant they needed to be planted straight away. Fortunately the soil wasn't too saturated so the roots won't drown. The plants should settle in well this spring.

Privets aren't the best of hedges for wildlife. Our other hedge consists of hawthorn and holly which are both excellent for attracting wildlife but as privet is such a common hedge plant we thought we would plant one just to show how it can be improved for wildlife. We will be planting species such as honeysuckle in the hedge which will make it more interesting to look at as well as provide more homes and food for wildlife.

How the sedum looks on the shed roof

2007-01-17T10:39:00.000Z

Exciting week for the wildlife garden

2007-01-17T10:25:00.000Z

Not only were 2 hedges planted, the turf laid and some plants put into the front garden, but the shed also arrived. The shed roof is topped with sedums and creates a wildlife habitat even when the ground below has been concreted over. The only care you have to give the sedums is an initial soaking and then an occasional watering if there is a really dry period.

The planting was carried out by volunteers and some young people from Rise Phoenix. One hedge planted was a hawthorn and holly mix, both of which provide berries for birds and are also good species for invertebrates to live in. The other is a privet hedge - this isn't so wildlife-friendly but we are going to improve it for wildlife by growing climbers such as honeysuckle through it. The front garden was planted with low growing plants that can survive in shade and also under a car.

Garden activities in January

2007-01-05T10:56:00.000Z

We are looking forward to a month of activity in the wildlife garden. We will be planting some more hedge and laying some turf in the wildlife garden area. A small area of this grass will be allowed to grow long. This is really important for lots of insects including several species of butterfly which lay their eggs in long grass and their caterpillars feed on it too. The patch of long grass needn't be large nor take up too much valuable lawn area in order to provide some important space for wildlife.

Also in January, we are looking forward to the installation of our green-roofed shed. For people who don't have much space to garden, roofs are another place to think about using for this purpose. There are many ways of doing this and a whole wealth of information is on the web about how you might go about it.

Next steps on the wildlife garden

2006-12-18T14:54:00.000Z

The pond is now full of water and all that is left to do on its construction is to bank the edges and cover the liner. It is important that wildlife friendly ponds have at least one shallow side allowing frogs and other animals to exit more easily. Our pond has a couple of ledges in it too which will be used for planting and will also make great homes for animals especially when we have put in a few small stone piles to create hidey-holes.

Volunteers have been planting bulbs under the trees. Spring bulbs are an early nectar source for emerging bees but most of them need to planted in autumn time for the best results.

We have also put in some good leaf compost on our newly dug beds which will give the plants a good head start when we plant them in the spring. Hopefully we will have a few frosts over the winter which will break the soil down, making it more crumbly and easier to work with next year.

Early wildlife sightings in the garden

2006-12-11T11:30:00.000Z

The last couple of weeks have been really busy in the wildlife garden with features such as our raised nectar-bed taking shape and the pond being dug out and lined.

The front garden is also taking shape, which is designed to show that if you have a car you can park it in front of your house without the need for a concrete drive. Front gardens are disappearing from urban areas at an alarming rate which means there are fewer places for wildlife to shelter and feed. Hard surfaces on front drives can also contribute to flash flooding, which has hit the news in London in recent months with drains and sewers not able to cope with all the rain water run-off.

We have had a couple of unusual sightings in the garden over the last couple of weeks as well. Firstly we saw a Pipistrelle bat flying around the front garden area at around 11am one warm morning. It's unusual to see a bat fly at that time of day and it's possible it had been disturbed from a roost elsewhere and was looking for a new spot to tuck into for the winter. We have also had sightings of a male Pheasant in the garden which is pretty unusual for Regent's Park. Perhaps word has got out that there's an exciting new place for wildlife in the heart of London!

2006-12-11T11:06:00.000Z

School classes have been learning about some of the declining wildlife in London. Pupils from St Joseph's RC School have drawn up ideas for planting plans to attract bees and some colourful posters to show what they have learnt.

The garden begins!

2006-12-11T10:38:00.000Z

Well the Regent's Park community wildlife garden is finally underway! Our contractors have begun to lay the paths that will eventually lead people through the garden and we have had our first group of volunteers in, helping to build a loggery for stag beetles and to plant a wildlife friendly hedge in the front garden area.

Over the coming months the garden will be built and planted with help from a large number of people from the local community. The aim is that visitors to the garden will come across loads of simple ideas to attract and support wildlife, which they can take away and use at home.

We'll use this blog to keep you up to date with what is happening during the garden's construction and to let you know how you can get involved. If you want to find out more then just give us an e-mail.