Please consider leaving dead plants in your garden over the winter rather than tidying them up. They will provide sheltered spots for hibernating insects 🐞 #gardening #nature - ThreadSky

lgspace.bsky.social • 58 days ago

Please consider leaving dead plants in your garden over the winter rather than tidying them up. They will provide sheltered spots for hibernating insects 🐞
#gardening #nature

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janefindlay.bsky.social•57 days ago

I have. And found loads of ladybirds overwintering in seed heads!

tinacompas.bsky.social•57 days ago

Absolutely! They also provide seeds for winter birds, and visual interest for all of us when indoors (or outdoors). ❄️

carolinemable.bsky.social•57 days ago

Also the seed head of a teasle, will attract Goldfinchs to feed on them.

donsayers.bsky.social•57 days ago

SOP

gus75.bsky.social•56 days ago

Absolutely 💯 I don’t tidy the garden until early March for this very reason and the birds feast on the seeds of my dead untidy yarrow and cone flower plants!

contingere.bsky.social•57 days ago

We inherited this dead tree when we bought this place 10 years ago. It is amazing how many birds of all shapes and sizes, often multiples at once, come and sit in it when there are plenty of live trees all around us. They love it. Maybe not much use to insects though. But whatever, it stays.

suffolkskies.bsky.social•56 days ago

My understanding is that standing deadwood is really important for plenty of invertebrates, which then become a food source for other animals - so excellent at many levels!

pocketwildingie.bsky.social•57 days ago

Deadwood keeps so many of our recycling minibeasts alive. It makes me so happy to see your 'inheritance' kept in the chain doing its thing for an impressive 10 years.

timsmedley.bsky.social•57 days ago

Thank you for saying this. Despite wanting a wilder nature garden, I still feel bad/lazy for not tidying. Unlearning a striped-lawn-and-flower-borders childhood is a heck of a thing.

lgspace.bsky.social•56 days ago

Thanks Tim 😊🐝

nathannelson.bsky.social•57 days ago

The need to tidy is a powerful urge to unlearn, also when messiness can be socially stigmatized it doesn't help. A problem in farming as well (they've let the place go).

timsmedley.bsky.social•57 days ago

Totally. Isabella Tree writes powerfully on that very point in Wilding. I always think of that whenever I see hogwart growing (including - mini victory - in my own lawn!)

nathannelson.bsky.social•57 days ago

Her bit on ragwort was a joy.

timsmedley.bsky.social•57 days ago

Bloody hell, I meant ragwort. I blame tiredness, and a HP-obsessed child!

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