Six ways to rewild your life and support nature

Take a walk in a wood or a meadow and, everywhere, nature is restoring and repairing itself. Leaves decompose and provide nutrients for the soil; wildflowers, nettles and weeds hum with bugs, bees and butterflies; logs provide shelter for hedgehogs, beetles, amphibians; and all these elements interlink.

When ecosystems function naturally, they prove highly successful at providing us with clean air and water, improving soil quality, preventing flooding and erosion, storing carbon and helping us to adapt to climate change. Yet in Europe alone, more than 80 percent of land is degraded and less than 30 percent of rivers are regarded as healthy. The global picture is no better.

That’s why rewilding or letting nature take care of itself has become more than just a buzzword. The term covers a range of activities. It might involve setting aside a piece of land to allow nature to take over. But it also means promoting the right conditions for nature to thrive, perhaps with the reintroduction of a species or the dismantling of a dam.

Traditionally, rewilding has applied to large scale agricultural projects and landscape changes. But the good news is you don’t need to own a vast plot of land to do your bit. You can start rewilding on a small scale with as little as a window box, balcony or front yard.

In the UK alone, it is estimated that 23 million households have access to a garden, and even the smallest of spaces can become more biodiverse, and allow wildlife to thrive by offering them shelter, food and water. Making your garden more wildlife friendly is easier than you think. Here are some tips to get started.

1. Cut back on the mowing

Do you take great pride in your perfectly manicured lawn? Do you cut it every week? Perhaps it’s time to rethink your lawn care.

Keeping lawns short isn’t helping Mother Nature. Constant mowing stops flowers from blooming and seeds from forming, and it also affects the insects and birds that need it for shelter and food. Tall grass copes better with dry summers and wet winters. Wildflowers will appear in it too. And with wildflowers, comes wildlife.

Perhaps you could reduce your mowing to once a month or less. Another solution could be to let part of the grass grow longer or create a miniature meadow in another part of your garden. In a small space, it’s better to have a good mix of plants that will attract bees and other pollinating insects.

2. Let the weeds grow

Insects love weeds. If you really want to rewild your garden, leave that patch of nettles for butterflies to lay eggs and caterpillars to hatch. And keep a few thistles as they'll prove a magnet for bees.

Consider including wildflowers in your flower beds and borders too. They provide large amounts of nectar and pollen for insects and the natural enemies of many pests.

At first, as the dandelions, thistles and clover run riot, you might wonder what you’ve let yourself in for. But give it a season for insects to return to control the plants and yet another as small animals return to keep the insects in check, and all will become clear. Brambles, honeysuckle or wild roses are another good source of food, shelter and nest sites for insects, birds and small mammals.

If you live in a flat, try filling a window box with insect friendly plants.

Allowing weeds and native plants to grow, provides a habitat for beneficial insects and pollinators. And they can look beautiful too. Wild doesn’t have to mean unkempt.

3. Look after the soil

One of the most effective ways to rewild your property is by reducing the use of chemicals in your lawn and garden and letting nature find its own balance again.

Healthy soil teems with billions of microscopic fungi, bacteria and insects. These play a significant role in maintaining a balanced ecosystem and supporting plant life. When you reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, you allow these organisms to thrive and contribute to the growth of native plants.

Composting offers another way to improve the quality of your soil. As organic matter such as kitchen scraps, grass cuttings, and leaves break down, they turn into nutrient-rich soil full of valuable microbes.

Constantly digging over soil destroys and disturbs the vital micro-organisms that sustain plant life. So when it comes to rewilding your garden, regularly mulching (adding organic matter such as compost on top of the soil) keeps things in balance, eliminating the need to add artificial fertilizers to repair the damage caused by digging.

4. Let it be

Many of us feel a compulsive urge to keep our gardens tidy. But why not consider leaving things alone? After raking your leaves, move them into a pile in the corner of your garden. Insects and small mammals can use it to make a home or take the leaves elsewhere to use as bedding. Hedgehogs may even hibernate in them.

Additionally, you can use fallen leaves as mulch, which reduces the amount of watering your plants need. Like a compost pile, leaves eventually break down into healthy soil for your plants, and support the microscopic life inside soil.

Similarly, piles of randomly arranged rocks or large stones in your garden will provide shelter for nocturnal insects during the day, and a spot for many species to lay their eggs.

Dead wood is another quick win, providing accommodation for many insects. Not only are beetles important predators, but they also act as pollinators and as a food source for hedgehogs and birds. They help to recycle nutrients too, by eating and digesting plant material. A pile of logs will do the same job.

If you scrape away the branches, leaves, and moss that cover a forest floor, you will generally uncover dark, rich earth with lots of life crawling around.

You could do worse than copy nature and leave piles of wood and leaves to rot in your garden. They offer a habitat for birds, invertebrates, small mammals, moss and fungi. By protecting the soil from exposure to direct sunlight, they help prevent it drying out. And when rotting, they provide organic matter which is a sustainable source of compost.

5. Make a home for wildlife

Make a space for animals and you’ll be amazed at the increase in birds, insects and even small mammals.

Bird feeders and nesting boxes will attract different bird species.

Besides log piles or rocks, bug hotels and piles of sticks provide shelter for a range of insects. If you live in an area with hedgehogs, you can add a hedgehog hut.

Ponds provide a water source for wildlife and also create habitats for amphibians and aquatic insects like dragonflies and water beetles. The best wildlife ponds have at least one gently sloping edge and, unless you keep fish, they can be quite shallow, about 40 centimeters in the center. If you don’t have room for a pond, a small container or pot with some aquatic plants is an option. The important thing is to make sure that creatures can get in and out of it easily, perhaps by adding a ramp both inside and outside.

6. Connect the plots

Creatures that can fly or climb can easily travel between gardens but little animals like hedgehogs need help to move around. They tend to roam a mile each night looking for food and mates but our garden walls and fences severely restrict their movements.

You can help these creatures move freely and safely by cutting small holes in fences and walls. Hollow logs or rocks can also serve as passageways, offering refuge and protection as they search for feeding and breeding spots.

Predators can easily spot small mammals on short grass, pathways and concreted areas so leaving your grass tall, planting hedges and creating passageways or tunnels also boost their chances of survival.

Rewilding benefits your garden’s soil and ecosystem, and the insects, birds and animals that depend on it. One garden alone may not seem much, but lots of gardens and backyards together can make a massive difference.