Actions you can take to make your garden more wildlife friendly.

Find more ways to take action for the wildlife in your garden by clicking on our guides below.

County Wildlife Sites (CWS) have a key role in the conservation of Suffolk’s biodiversity and are important Living Landscape links.

Creating a Living Garden is about making a space that is good for plants and animals but also good for you

There are 13 species of bat that have been found in Suffolk over the past thirty years, from the most common pipistrelle to records of a lone hibernating lesser horseshoe bat. But whatever the species, a fleeting encounter with a bat is probably one of the most magical and rewarding for a wildlife gardener.

Tips on how to make a hedgehog friendly garden

In Suffolk, out of 22,000 non garden ponds, about 70% have been neglected and become choked with leaf litter and silt. With many more lost to agricultural intensification and urban development the refuge provided by gardens and school grounds has become increasingly important.

Suffolk is home to two species of snake (grass snake and adder) and two species of lizard (common lizard and slow-worm). Reptiles appreciate warmth and places to hide from predators, so it is not surprising that they are sometimes found sheltering in gardens.

Not only are bees and wasps fascinating social creatures, they are also vital pollinators. Without them Suffolk’s orchards would have little fruit, arable crops would produce little yield, and many of our garden fruit, vegetables and flowers would not flourish.

Butterflies will be attracted into any garden that offers shelter from the wind and a supply of nectar from flowering plants. There are more than 30 different species of butterfly in Suffolk, though many are becoming rarer due to losses of wildflower meadows, hedgerows and woodlands.