I have made a beetle mound........logs, covered with several layers of turf, and then leaf mould on top..........I like beetles........
I have planted violets and primroses nearby......
also native ferns.........
they do well here.....this is a damp garden.......
I also planted Dicentra........three little plants. I am looking forward to see how this mini ecosystem developes...........The fairy, of course, is for Poppi........and me......
26 comments:
Cheryl, a beetle mound that is interesting. I think I’ll try it in my garden
Hi Rusty.....I got this idea from a Kent wildlife trust magazine. Appently gardens are too tidy now and this is the type of habitat they like.....
I am looking forward to seeing what turns up.....
I have always found beetles more interesting than other mere bugs. And of course ladybugs. They've been a timeless favorite.
Brenda
What a wonderful idea! I like trying new things and I agree that some gardens are too tidy (well not mine!).
Love your faerie. Did Poppi give her a name?
Well now. This is a first for me. A beetle mound?? I have never heard of such a thing. I will be most interested to see/hear what comes of this mound. How long do you think it will take the beetles to find it? What sort of beetles do you think will inhabit such a place??
This is a lovely idea
i have just been reading about beneficials in the garden. how they love wood and mulch piles. i want to attract as many of them as i can. i love the idea of a beetle mound especially with the fairy to watch over it.
It has been nice to see all the life in your garden...I think I have begun many beetle shelters last fall, leaving piles around the yard rather than making a blank slate and shipping the resources out.
I will find a nice spot a build a mound for the woody branches I have accumulated over last couple of years -- I knew they had a use :-)
Leaving the natural plant litter in the south garden certainly provided a nice hibernation spot for some native ladybugs.
Hi Wendy.....my garden is very untidy around the edges, just how the insects like it.....
Poppi has not named the fairy yet, we will decide when she come tomorrow....
Hi Lisa......apparently as long as there are air pockets in the mound (which there are) many creatures will use the area. It should attract sun beetles etc fairly quickly.....
Stag beetles are only found in the South East of England (where I live) and because rotting wood is now cleared from gardens etc, are becoming more rare......as the wood at the bottom of the pile rots I am hoping it will be an ideal breeding ground for them.
I am hoping as lichens and moss etc establish themselves .....and the ferns etc grow, it will become a very beautiful mini ecosystem...
I shall give updates during the year to let you see how it does or does not, progress....
Hi Marmee......I love the idea of this beetle mound especially with native planting around it. I cannot wait to see how this habitat changes as time goes by.....
I love to think that each time I add something to the garden, I am helping the wildlife that comes here.....
Hi Chris.....I have always loved the way you garden and your attitude to wildlife....I look forward to reading your summer posts......
Snap! I have a beetle mound behind my shed, out of sight and out of mind. I love the Beatles too but those scuttling about in the garden less so, some even make me go ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww when we have a close encounter of the worst kind. ;-)
BTW must check for Fairies in my garden, haven't seen them for a while.
Delightful Cheryl, I have a beetle mound at the side of my shed, actually the shed is so dilapidated that it is pretty well a beetle mound in itself!! Nowhere near as attractive as yours though.
Have lots of fun with your very own little fairy tomorrow.
A beetle mound isn't something I've ever heard of, but I like the idea (well, depending on the beetle). What kinds do you expect to attract and what do they do for the garden? Eat pests? And fairies are for everyone! ;-)
I'll be looking forward to updates on the beetle mound. What a great idea!
Yolanda....you cannot be scared of beetles, surely.
I love the idea of all the beetles in the mound by your shed...I am pleased that, at least, you have one.....
Hi Shy Songbird......your comment did make me smile....I love the thought of your shed being part of the beetle mound....so funny.....so honest.....
Poppi and Riley are both coming tomorrow afternoon to spend time with me. Grandpop will see them when he gets home from work.
Hi Monica.....it will attract many different species of beetle....
most will be beneficial to the garden....of course you will get some that are not. I, personally believe, that nature balances things out, when you have a mixture of creatures living in your garden.......
What do you think??
Yo Cheryl, a beetle mound sounds great. We are going to have to check that out.
I agree with you that gardens have been to tidy for so long that the beneficial insects have trouble finding homes.
I don't know much about beetles except that many and their larvae eat other insects. Like firefly larvae work together to imobilize then eat slugs.
I must do a post on beetle mounds as a way to keep slow moving beneficial beetles (like ground beetles and rove beetles)nearby their work in the garden.
Do you mind if I run with your idea and then link to you within?
P.S. where have you located this mound? Shade? Woodland edge?
And I would like to use your picture of the mound not only on pollinators-welcome but also at The Wildlife Gardeners Forum.
http://www.wildlifegardeners.org/forum/
I will understand if you deny use.
No problem. I like visiting your blog with its very obvious respect for nature.
ptbrr@aol dot com
...gloria
One more thing...what did you mean by turf layers?
Thanks!
Dear Cheryl,
Thank you for posting the beetle habitat. I have similiar "mounds" for the bugs. They are magical to me. Lots of beneficial bugs and birds come to a garden that is full circle. I do some clean up in the spring. Not much! I make sure I leave leaf mold and decaying wood and baskets and all sorts of rocks for the creatures that call my backyard home. Logs, branches are nice in flowerbeds. They give height and a spot for vines and wondering plants to grow. My birds like the branches for perches.
I agree with you, all the bugs are "good". The birds in my backyard like bugs. I live in the city and my urban backyard is shelter and food for over 40 species of birds each month. I do not know how many bugs call the backyard home. A nice summer project would be to count bug species.
I love the way you showed how lovely a beetle mound can be!
The bugs love you!
Sherry
Gloria....please feel free to use the photograph, you are most welcome.....
layers of turf......I was digging up turf to make a new border. I placed the turf(grass) over the logs.....earth to earth and grass to grass....I hope I have explained that clearly?? There does need to be natural pockets of air in the mound......eventually the mound will start to break down, the wood will rot......and a mini ecosystem will evolve......I am sure you know that anyway.....
I placed the mound near shrubs and trees in a semi shade position.......
Gloria....meant to add, it is fine to use the beetle mound on your blog etc.....please go ahead....anything that helps wildlife is fine by me.....
Thanks Cheryl!
Check it out, I added the pictures.
Your garden is looking great.
We are just starting to get green and a few blooms.
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