Five ways you can support nature this March

The first signs of spring have begun, from snowdrops making their pretty appearance to the days getting longer and even the occasional ray of sunshine… Nature is bursting back to life!

March is the perfect time to roll up your sleeves and give a helping hand to our wonderful wildlife. Whether you have ten minutes or ten hours, a sprawling garden or a tiny balcony, there's something you can do to make a difference. Here are five simple yet impactful ways to support nature this spring.

Create a buzz with a bee-friendly garden

As well as making honey, bees are crucial pollinators, and spring is when they emerge, hungry and ready to work. If you can, plant early-flowering plants like cheerful crocuses, delicate primroses, and elegant hellebores, these provide a vital source of nectar and pollen, ensuring our bees have the fuel they need. Even a small window box brimming with these flowers can make a difference. Learn more about bee friendly gardens here. 

Consider adding a bee hotel or solitary bee nesting box to your garden or balcony. Unlike honeybees and bumblebees, solitary bees do not live in colonies with 'worker' bees, rather, a single female builds and provisions her own nest. Bee hotels provide safe havens for solitary bees, who are essential for pollination.

Gardening for wildlife

Beyond the bees, our gardens can be vital habitats for a variety of wildlife. Help them feel welcome by cleaning out bird nesting boxes ready for the new season, and providing fresh water. Leave out natural nesting materials like twigs, moss, and leaves. If you have room, you could consider creating a small pond or bog garden, or even a small dish of water can attract frogspawn and insects. Most importantly, ditch the weedkiller! It harms beneficial insects, birds, and other wildlife. Use natural pest control methods and let nature find its balance.

Resist the urge to have a perfectly manicured garden. Let some areas grow wild. Longer grass provides shelter for insects, spiders, and other small creatures. Piles of leaves and logs create cosy habitats for hedgehogs, beetles, and other invertebrates. Leave some patches undisturbed, and you'll be amazed at the wildlife that appears. You can learn more about building a climate and nature friendly garden here.
 

Support organisations

Organisations like ours are working tirelessly to protect and enhance our local habitats. Consider volunteering your time, becoming a member or donating to an appeal. There are plenty of activities that need undertaking at this time of year and spring initiatives you can get involved in, such as habitat restoration projects or wildlife surveys. By supporting these organisations you can help our natural heritage thrive and ensure it is protected for future generations.

Find out more about volunteering for us here.

Become a citizen scientist

Simply recording and sharing your nature sightings through irecord.org.uk helps build a better understanding of how nature is faring. Contribute to national surveys like the Big Butterfly Count or Plantlife's Every Flower Counts. These surveys help scientists track changes in populations and inform conservation efforts. It's a fun and easy way to get involved in scientific research and make a real difference. The Wiltshire and Swindon Biological Record Centre provide data to a range of organisations to help monitor and protect the counties wildlife and habitats.

Inspiring your community

You can log your action for nature on our website and join the Team Wilder movement. Every action you take, big or small, you can create a lasting record of it on there. This is the key to inspiring others to take action for nature. By sharing your experiences, you demonstrate just how accessible and fulfilling it is to contribute to wildlife conservation. Logging your activities allows us to build a powerful community, where we can see what others are doing and connect. It helps us track the collective impact of our efforts beyond the trust, showing the real difference, we are making for the county, together. Most importantly, it raises awareness of the power of community action, demonstrating that even small individual efforts can contribute to a larger, positive change. So, as you embark on your spring wildlife mission, remember to share your progress on Team Wilder.

Spring is a time of renewal and hope. By taking a few simple steps, we can all play a part in creating a thriving environment for wildlife. Let's make this spring a season of positive change for nature!