Your Guide to Wildlife Gardening in September
September is a crucial month for wildlife, as animals prepare for the changing seasons. By providing food, shelter, and a welcoming habitat, you can support a diverse array of creatures in your garden.
Plants for Wildlife
Allium Bulbs:
Plant allium bulbs now for a vibrant display of nectar-rich flowers next spring. Alliums are a magnet for bees and other pollinators, providing essential food sources.
Annual Flowers:
Sow annual flowers like cornflowers, scabious, and honeywort in September for early blooms next year. These nectar-rich plants extend the season for pollinators.
Feeding Wildlife
Hedgehogs:
Provide meaty hedgehog food or cat biscuits to help hedgehogs build up weight before hibernation. Don’t forget to leave out water as well.
Birds:
Native hedges offer a bounty of ripening berries, while feeders stocked with seed and nuts will attract a variety of birds to your garden.
Creating and Maintaining Habitats
Bird Boxes:
Clean out bird boxes in the next few weeks to remove parasites and ensure they’re ready for birds to roost in colder weather.
Meadows:
Mow summer meadows early in September, checking for wildlife first. Leave mowings on the ground for a few days to allow seeds to drop.
Herbaceous Perennials:
Avoid cutting back herbaceous perennials this month. Their stems and foliage provide shelter for overwintering insects and add structure to borders.
Ponds:
Clear excess mud and dead leaves from ponds now, but leave the material on the edge for a few days to allow creatures to return before composting.
Look Out For… Arachnids!
September is a great time to observe a variety of arachnids in your garden.
Garden Spiders:
These common orb web spiders are easily identified by their cross-like markings. They spin webs across windows, walls, and hedges, waiting for insects to become ensnared.
Zebra Spiders:
Named for their black and white stripes, zebra spiders hunt on trees, walls, and fences, jumping onto their prey from a distance.
Harvestmen:
Despite their spider-like appearance, harvestmen are actually arachnid lookalikes. They hunt insects in vegetation using hooks on the ends of their legs.
Additional Tips
- Consider purchasing plants from growers who use organic principles to avoid bringing pesticides into your garden.
- Avoid disturbing wildlife during September, as animals are busy preparing for the changing seasons.
- Leave seedheads on plants like sunflowers and echinacea to provide food for birds later in the year.
- If the month is particularly wet, postpone dividing wildlife-friendly perennials until later in the autumn or next spring.
