Bishop's Garden July Update: From Moths to Wild Flowers

Blog post by Barry Madden on 15 Jul, 2021

In a new update on our Bishop's House Garden Wildlife Audit project, Volunteer Surveyor Barry Madden reveals all on the species that have been making the garden their home this summer.

It's a busy time of year for gardeners as well as garden wildlife. The spell of warm weather during late May and early June saw an explosion of invertebrate life feasting on the ample supply of nectar from wild flower margins, as well as feasting on each other.

White Ermine by Barry Madden

Robin by Barry Madden

During this period many species of insect were noted, amongst them orange tip, holly blue and both large and small white butterflies, burnet companion (a day flying moth), dock bugs and thick-legged flower beetles (a species NWT are particularly keen on recording as part of their Wildlife Spotter Survey - if you see one make sure you report it by completing the simple form).

It can be quite fascinating to simply stand and stare at a patch of wild flowers or grasses and see what is using this mini jungle. Predators and prey will be playing out their short existence as part of an intricate web of life. Every garden can make a space for these small wild creatures, perhaps by leaving an unmown strip of lawn or not tidying up the bottom of the hedge. Your reward will be the ability to explore a hitherto unnoticed micro world of wonder, as well as supplying food for hungry birds and natural predators for some of your garden 'pests'. Give it a try, you really won't be disappointed.

The county recorder, Tim Strudwick, visited the Bishop's Garden one sunny morning to undertake an audit of the bees and solitary wasps using the site. In a two-hour period, Tim discovered a quite amazing 28 species, most by simple observation of nectaring insects, a few by actively sweeping a fine, soft net through the wild flower margins. Excluding the honey bees that are very active around their hives, a total of 210 other insects were found, demonstrating how rich and diverse the garden is. A further visit is planned for later in July when this impressive total will no doubt be increased.

White Ermine by Barry Madden

White Ermine by Barry Madden

Moths get a bad press, probably because they have associations with the night and all things spooky. However, they are very important insects that have a key role in pollination, as well as proving an important food source for birds, bats and small mammals. In other parts of Europe, they are referred to as night butterflies, which is a far better way of looking at them I think. Blue Tits and Great Tits rely heavily on moth larvae to feed their young, and across the UK they consume several billion of these little green wrigglers each spring.

After a slow start with very few moths appearing, harmless trapping in the garden picked up during June. James Lowen, author of Much Ado About Mothing, visited the garden to feature in a live recording of the results of one successful overnight trapping. The recording can be viewed here and provides an enlightening and entertaining introduction into the fascinating world of our garden moths. Particular beauties we found on this occasion were white ermine and common swift, as well as light brocade and several heart & dart. We plan to continue trapping, as weather allows, throughout the summer to produce a much broader picture of the species range using this inner-city sanctum.

One of the reasons the Bishop's Garden has such a wide range of invertebrate life is down to the management regime. Sam Garland, Head Gardener, explains:

We avoid using pesticides. There really is no need to be using pesticides in most cases. If we are really worried by a bad infestation of aphids, we spray them with a soft-soap solution. Alternatively, we often find some ladybirds and move them onto the infested plant.

Sam Garland, Bishop's Garden Head Gardener

Sam also has a very simple philosophy on how to incorporate wild flowers into a garden: "We have been taking the time to get to know our weeds. Weeds sit on a scale between the downright annoying to the exquisite and remarkable. So, we have been taking the time to learn them and leave the ones we like."

Other creatures we have noticed making good use of the bountiful supply of invertebrate life in the garden are Robins, Blackbirds, Wrens, Dunnocks and, most surprisingly, Herring Gulls that utilise the lawn as an area to look for worms and anything else within beak range. Hedgehogs are using the garden and will be making inroads into slugs and snails, whilst other small mammals will prey on beetles and suchlike.

Future surveys of bats and other mammals are planned for later in the summer, when we also hope to survey spiders, hoverflies, sawflies and fungi. It really is most exciting - watch this space!

Find out more about our exciting Bishop's Garden audit project on our project page.

Barry Madden is a Volunteer Surveyor with the Bishop's House Garden project.

Header image: Flowers in Bishop's Garden by Barry Madden

Share this

Latest Blog Posts

Volunteer Spotlight: Poppy Bye Volunteer Spotlight: Poppy Bye
by Poppy Bye on 12 Mar, 2024
Last of the winter jobs on our reserves Last of the winter jobs on ...
by Robert Morgan, NWT Reserves Officer on 29 Feb, 2024
Hamza Yassin: Life Behind The Lens Hamza Yassin: Life Behind T...
by Oscar Lawrence on 27 Feb, 2024
Is the humble toad the real harbinger of spring?  Is the humble toad the real...
by Robert Morgan on 20 Feb, 2024
NWT employs stubborn old goats NWT employs stubborn old goats
by Robert Morgan on 20 Feb, 2024
Short-eared owls: their magic and majesty Short-eared owls: their mag...
by Oscar Lawrence on 12 Feb, 2024
Volunteer Spotlight: Tim Suiter Volunteer Spotlight: Tim Su...
by Tim Suiter on 05 Feb, 2024
Some old-fashioned care is needed in the winter Some old-fashioned care is ...
by Robert Morgan, NWT Reserves Officer on 02 Feb, 2024
Could a once abundant Norfolk fish become extinct?   Could a once abundant Norfo...
by Robert Morgan on 23 Jan, 2024
Wild is the wind Wild is the wind
by Robert Morgan on 23 Jan, 2024
Waxwing Winter Waxwing Winter
by Oscar Lawrence on 17 Jan, 2024
Volunteer Spotlight: Tricia Dolamore Volunteer Spotlight: Tricia...
by Tricia on 10 Jan, 2024
January on our reserves January on our reserves
by NWT on 04 Jan, 2024
Robin Redbreast Robin Redbreast
by Oscar Lawrence on 19 Dec, 2023
A Christmas Wish for Nature A Christmas Wish for Nature
by Robert Morgan on 18 Dec, 2023
November on our reserves November on our reserves
by Robert Morgan, NWT Reserves Assistant on 07 Dec, 2023
Our vision for Hickling Broad Our vision for Hickling Broad
by Eliot Lyne, NWT CEO on 07 Dec, 2023
Winter wildlife on the North Norfolk coast Winter wildlife on the Nort...
by Robert Morgan on 05 Dec, 2023
Meander through the meadow - Sweet Briar Marshes guided walk Meander through the meadow ...
by Oscar Lawrence on 29 Nov, 2023
Kites and eagles: the falsely accused Kites and eagles: the false...
by Oscar Lawrence on 20 Nov, 2023
Nurturing nature with love Nurturing nature with love
by Nick Acheson on 14 Nov, 2023
Foray into fungi Foray into fungi
by Robert Morgan on 07 Nov, 2023
October on our reserves October on our reserves
by NWT on 01 Nov, 2023
Volunteer Spotlight: John Coadwell Volunteer Spotlight: John C...
by John Coadwell on 31 Oct, 2023