Wildlife Garden Five Years On
June 2025
Common Frog (Rana temporaria) in the pond
Within six months of moving into my little terraced house in late 2019, Covid struck... and like the rest of the world I found myself locked-down at home. Searching for a way of passing my time constructively I decided to try and turn the patio at the back of the house into a wildlife garden, and you can read how I went about it in my 2021 report here. Now, five years on from that strange, apocalyptic summer, I thought I'd update you on the garden's progress.
Laid to patio when I arrived in 2019
Wildlife garden in the spring of 2025
Garden Pond
The focal point of any wildlife garden is a pond. It doesn't really matter how big it is, but as long as there are no fish and it has gently sloping sides, the wildlife will literally flock to it. As soon as mine was full (rainwater of course, no tap water) birds started arriving to drink and bath followed by dragonflies and damselflies to lay their eggs.
I've now recorded thirteen species (full list below), all of which appear to be breeding including the rare Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly. Within a year frogs and newts were breeding too and starting to attract predators. In addition to foxes and shrews, toads are now resident and a beautiful little grass snake is a regular visitor.
Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura pumilio)
Young Palmate Newt (Lissotriton helveticus) freshly emerged from the pond
Common Toad (Bufo bufo)
Grass Snake (Natrix natrix)
Plant Life
Plant life takes a bit longer to get properly established, and to really benefit wildlife they all have to be genuine local, native plants... which aren't always easy to come by. Luckily here in Swansea we have the superb Celtic Wildflowers nursery (www.celticwildflowers.co.uk) run by expert naturalists Sandra and Barry Stewart and packed with guaranteed local Welsh wildflowers, trees and shrubs.
With Sandra and Barry's help I was able to fill my new garden with native plants, from birds-foot trefoil and violets to cuckoo flower, bugle and even orchids! Now, five years on they've spread to cover the whole garden and of course once native plants are established native insects will follow...
Southern Marsh Orchid, Ragged Robin and Yellow Rattle
Quaking Grass (Briza media)
Grey Dagger moth caterpillar (Acronicta psi)
Insect Life
My main aim in creating a wildlife garden was to provide somewhere our rapidly declining butterflies, moths and other insects could live and breed in safety... and the results have far exceeded my expectations. In fact, there are so many that I haven't got close to recording them all!
The most obvious are the butterflies with 22 species recorded so far, of which at least 9 have bred in the garden (full list below), but they're heavily outnumbered by a whole host of bees, hoverflies, beetles, grasshoppers, spiders etc, etc.
Small Blue caterpillar (Cupido minimus) feeding while tended by an ant
Female Small Blue (Cupido minimus) egg-laying on Kidney Vetch
I probably wouldn't have bothered with a wildlife garden had it not been for Covid. Digging up all the paving stones as well as the nine inches of concrete they were sitting on seemed like far too much work. In the end though, it was all pretty-much finished by the time restrictions were lifted, and the pleasure I've had from the garden in the five years since then is incalculable.
I would strongly recommend anyone who's at all interested in wildlife or the environment to try and create at least a wildlife patch for themselves, if not a complete wildlife garden. The area occupied by our properties is far bigger than all the country's nature reserves combined, so if enough of us were to do it we could really make a difference. If you'd like any advice on how to go about it, please feel free to get in touch here or of course you could try the Celtic Wildflowers website: www.celticwildflowers.co.uk/ or pop along to one of their open days in Penllegaer.
For anyone who's interested, the Wildlife Trust for South and West Wales has published an article about my wildlife garden which you can read here: www.welshwildlife.org/blog/matia/paving-slabs-paradise and below are links to some videos of wildlife in the garden as well as species lists.
Videos of Wildlife in the Garden
Lists of species Recorded in the Garden
Mammals
Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)European Badger (Meles meles)
European Mole (Talpa europaea)
Common Shrew (Sorex araneus)
Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)
Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)
Bank Vole (Clethrionomys glareolus)
Wood Mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus)
Amphibians & Reptiles
Grass Snake (Natrix natrix)Slow Worm (Anguis fragilis)
Common Toad (Bufo bufo)
Common Frog (Rana temporaria)
Palmate Newt (Lissotriton helveticus)
Dragonflies & Damselflies
Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula)Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella)
Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura pumilio)
Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)
Golden-ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii)
Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea)
Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta)
Emperor (Anax imperator)
Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa)
Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata)
Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum)
Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens)
Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum)
Butterflies (br = breeding)
Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris)Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus)
Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni)
Large White (Pieris brassicae)
Small White (Pieris rapae)
Green-veined White (Pieris napi) (br)
Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines) (br)
Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) (br)
Small Blue (Cupido minimus) (br)
Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) (br)
Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus)
Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia)
Red Admiral (Vanessa Atalanta)
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)
Peacock (Aglais io)
Comma ( Polygonia c-album) (br)
Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) (br)
Wall (Lasiommata megera)
Gatekeepper (Pyronia Tithonus) (br)
Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) (br)
Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus)
Some other invertebrates
Hornet (Vespa crabro)Elephant Hawk-moth (Deilephila elpenor)
Poplar Hawk Moth (Laothoe populi)
Scarlet Tiger Moth (Callimorpha dominula)
Pale Tussock (Calliteara pudibunda)
Puss Moth (Cerura vinula)
Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
Water Spider (Argyroneta aquatica)
Zebra Spider (Salticus scenicus)
Spotted Longhorn Beetle (Rutpela maculata)
Red-headed Cardinal Beetle (pyrochroa serraticornis)
Saucer Bug (Ilyocoris cimicoides)
Water Stick Insect (Ranatra linearis)
Meadow Grasshopper (Pseudochorthippus parallelus)
Grasses, rushes and sedges
Creeping Bent (Agrostis stolonifera)Sweet Vernal Grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum)
False Oat Grass (Arrhenatherum elatius)
Silver Hair-grass (Aira caryophyllea)
Quaking Grass (Briza media)
Soft Brome (Bromus hordeaceus)
False Brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum)
Crested Dog's Tail (Cynosurus cristatus)
Cock's Foot (Dactylis glomerata)
Sheep's Fescue (Festuca ovina)
Red Fescue (Festuca rubra)
Yorkshire Fog (Holcus lanatus)
Purple Moor-grass (Molinia caerulea)
Annual Meadow-grass (Poa annua)
Glaucous Sedge (Carex flacca)
Wood Sedge (Carex sylvatica)
Star Sedge (Carex echinata)
Carnation Sedge (Carex panicea)
Hairy Sedge (Carex hirta)
Soft-leaved Sedge (Carex montana)
Oval Sedge (Carex leporina)
Common Yellow-sedge (Carex viridula)
Common Cottongrass (Eriophorum angustifolium)
Soft Rush (Juncus effusus)
Hard Rush (Juncus inflexus)
Compact Rush (Juncus conglomeratus)
Sharp-flowered Rush (Juncs acutiflorus)
Jointed Rush (Juncus articulatus)
Heath Wood-rush (Luzula multiflora)
Field Wood-rush (Luzula campestris)
Flowering Plants
Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens)Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris)
Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria)
Lesser Spearwort (Ranunculus flammula)
Rigid Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum)
Cuckoo Flower (Cardamine pratensis)
Common Rock-rose (Helianthemum chamaecistus)
Marsh St John's-wort (Hypericum elodes)
Square-stalked St John's-wort (Hypericum tetrapterum)
Common Dog-violet (Viola riviniana)
Hairy Violet (Viola hirta)
Red Campion (Silene dioica)
Ragged-robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi)
Procumbent Pearlwort (Sagina procumbens)
Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum)
Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
White Clover (Trifolium repens)
Tufted Vetch (Vicia cracca)
Common Vetch (Vicia sativa)
Meadow Vetchling (Lathyrus pratensis)
Common Bird's-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)
Greater Bird's-foot Trefoil (Lotus pedunculatus)
Horseshoe Vetch (Hippocrepis comosa)
Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria)
Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)
Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
Dogrose (Rosa canina)
Bramble (Rubus fruticosus)
Tormentil (Potentilla erecta)
Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca)
Salad Burnet (Poterium sanguisorba)
Great Willowherb (Epilobium hirsutum)
Enchanter's Nightshade (Circaea lutetiana)
Common Nettle (Urtica dioica)
Holly (Ilex aquifolium)
Ivy (Hedera helix)
Dogwood (Thelycrania sanguinea)
Alder Buckthorn (Rhamnus catharticus)
Alder Buckthorn (Frangula alnus)
Pendunculate Oak (Quercus robur)
Beech (Fagus silvatica)
Hazel (Corylus avellana)
Alder (Alnus glutinosa)
English Elm (Ulmus procera)
Wych Elm (Ulmus glabra)
Silver Birch (Betula pendula)
Ash (Fraxinus excelsior)
Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris)
Marsh Pennywort (Hydrocotyle vulgaris)
Broad-leaved Dock (Rumex obtusifolius)
Common Sorrel (Rumex acetosa)
Primrose (Primula vulgaris)
Cowslip (Primula veris)
Bog Pimpernel (Anagallis tenella)
Common Figwort (Scrophularia nodosa)
Water Figwort (Scrophularia aquatica)
Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
Germander Speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys)
Common Field Speedwell (Veronica persica)
Wall Speedwell (Veronica arvensis)
Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor)
Water Mint (Mentha aquatica)
Wild Thyme (Thymus drucei)
Wild Basil (Clinopodium vulgare)
Marjoram (Origanum vulgare)
Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea)
Hedge Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica)
Betony (Betonica officinalis)
Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris)
Bugle (Ajuga reptans)
Wood Sage (Teucrium scorodonia)
Tufted Forget-me-not (Myosotis caespitosa)
Viper's Bugloss (Echium vulgare)
Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata)
Great Plantain (Plantago major)
Elder (Sambucus nigra)
Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum)
Common Marsh Bedstraw (Galium palustre)
Cleavers (Galium aparine)
Lady's Bedstraw (Galium verum)
Small Scabious (Scabiosa columbaria)
Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis)
Devil's-bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis)
Common Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea)
Common Fleabane (Pulicaria dysenterica)
Colt's-foot (Tussilago farfara)
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Chalk Knapweed (Centaurea debauxii)
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Common Cat's-ear (Hypochoeris radicata)
Rough Hawkbit (Leontodon hispidus)
Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum)
Lords-and-ladies (Arum maculatum)
Southern Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza praetermissa)
A few of the birds
Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis)Great-spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)
Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)
Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus)
Nuthatch (Sitta europaea)
Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus)
Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)
Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
The garden pond five years on