Bird box? Tick. Compost heap? Tick? Log piles, wildflower grass and native hedge? Tick and tick again!

If you’ve got all or some of these, you’re well on your way to becoming a Wildlife Champion for Dorset and you could be in line for a special plaque.

Dorset Wildlife Trust wants more of us to commit to gardening for wildlife, turning our back and front yards into havens for biodiversity.

The trust says: “There are 15 million gardens in the UK totalling an acreage greater than all our national nature reserves put together, so what you do in your garden matters. Large or small, your garden can provide a vital stepping stone for wildlife and be part of the patchwork of wildlife friendly areas linking towns and the countryside.”

Among the things the trust wants to see champions doing is commit to using only peat-free compost, cutting out harmful chemicals and slug pellets, creating a bucket, pond or bog garden if safe and appropriate, building or installing bat boxes, hedgehog houses and bird homes, and ensuring there are nectar-rich plants available for bees and other pollinators.

If you want to apply for the trust’s free plaque, all you have to do is send it photographic evidence of at least six of these features, which are listed on its site.

More details from https://www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/gardenscheme

By Faith Eckersall