Home sweet home - but have you thought about exploring your garden to see what creatures are calling it home?

Even if you do not have a big garden or you only have a concrete patio, you will be surprised at what shelters in the nooks and crannies.

If you live in town one of the best ways to help wildlife is to garden for wildlife. This does not mean giving up on your herbaceous borders and letting the nettles grow, but just adapting what you may already be doing.

Gardens are extremely important for wildlife, not only can they provide food and shelter for a huge range of plants and animals, but they can form a natural "bridge" between built up and open areas which allow wildlife to move between them relatively easily. Gardens can also provide particular habitats that may be missing in your local area such as ponds and suitable hibernation or nesting sites.

There are 15 million gardens in the UK and they are estimated to cover about 270,000 hectares, which is more than the area of all the National Nature Reserves in the UK. Each garden on its own may be small, but together they form a mosaic of habitats for wildlife.

Why are gardens so important in Sussex

Find out why are gardens so important in the UK, Sussex and your street

Find out what you can do in your garden and learn more about...

• Ponds in your garden

  
  

• Birds in your garden

  
  

• Butterflies in your garden

  
  

• Bees in your garden

  
  

• Composting in your garden

  
  

• Plants in your garden

  
  

• Bats in your garden

  
  

• Insect homes in your garden

  
  

Click here to find more about the national gardening for wildlife projects Sussex Wildlife Trust are involved with...

Are you interested in learning more?

why not take a look at our recommended book list.......

photo by Helen Freestone