Rev. Kath McBride:  01904 489349
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Church Street, Dunnington

York, YO19 5PW

9. Out & About 2

Our Wildlife Community – Help Save the Small Things That Run Our Planet

Money doesn’t make our world go around – it’s insects and other invertebrates. But the world’s insects are in big trouble and they need our help. 

According to BugLife, “a recent review of 73 studies from around the World has shown that 41% of insect species are in decline and a third of species are at risk of extinction” and those most at risk include some of the most beautiful (e.g. butterflies) and beneficial (e.g. bees, dung beetles). 

The main causes of decline include habitat loss and the use of pesticides. These are both issues that we can all do something about through more carefully considered land-management. We can help in our gardens (and other outdoor spaces), we can use our purchasing power to support green businesses (e.g. farmers using more environmentally-friendly methods) and we can encourage our public bodies to manage land for better biodiversity. Even within our villages there are numerous opportunities for creating sanctuaries for insects: the village greens, playgrounds, cemeteries, playing fields, verges, hedgerows, woodlands, ponds, school grounds, care homes, a golf course and a business park. Wouldn’t it be great if every patch could work for wildlife too? 

We have done a lot to help insects in our mini nature reserve. We don’t use pesticides. We have a lot of pollinator-friendly flowers and some caterpillar food plants. We also have sheltering climbers, long grass and a mixed native hedge. We’ve created a variety of habitats too: minibeast hotels, a leaf pile, stick piles, a brash pile, branch piles, log piles, a half-buried log, stone piles, and nooks within our trellis and in a rockery.

Recently, we’ve been enjoying bug hunting in our garden: hatching a rove beetle from a pupa we found when we dug up a bed; finding our first dung beetle; and digging a tumble trap which caught ground beetles and a devil’s coach horse. 

We have also set up some hoverfly lagoons. If you’d like to have a go, see the Hoverfly Lagoons Project page https://hoverflylagoons.co.uk/what-are-hoverfly-lagoons/

Alex & Mum

Hope                                                  

This simple poem from the National Trust reminds us that in the turmoil of the last few years Nature still provides simple joys and hope for the future.

In these uncertain times
we know you might feel unsure...
But flowers still grow, birds still sing
and waves still sweep the shore

And with the rising
And setting of the sun,
Nature reminds us all
That brighter days will come

 

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