Here are some hints and tips for you to start encouraging wildlife into your garden

• Grow native plants, plants with berries and seeds are best as they are a great food source.
• Don't tidy your garden to much, try to leave it as wild as possible or if that is not possible dedicate an area just for the wildlife.
• Never use slug pellets or artificial pesticides.
• If you don't have access to a garden then why not try putting up window feeders for the birds.
• Children's toys like football nets can be dangerous for animals like hedgehogs who can get tangled, make sure they are all packed away when not in use.
• When burning garden rubbish always check to make sure there are no creatures, such as hedgehogs, nesting or hibernating inside.
• Never cut hedges in spring or summer as this will disturb nesting birds.
• If you have a bird table remember to keep it clean by washing it once a week this will prevent the spread of infection.
• Its very important to encourage insects into your garden as they in turn will bring birds, try stacking dead logs, leaving patches of nettles and putting up insect houses.
• If you own a cat always keep it inside at night. Cats in total kill roughly 270 million creatures annually. Keeping them in reduces their hunting by about 80%. It is also safer for your cat because they are more likely to be killed on the road at night.

If you would like to know more about encouraging wildlife into your garden check out your local library, there are a wide range of books available.