Wildlife and eco projects — Notting Hill Nomads

We had plenty of spare time in lockdown to embark on some new eco projects. Here is are some of our favourites.

Hedgehog house and bee hotel

The excitement started when we noticed two discarded pallets at the local dump so dragged them home and turned them into homes for wildlife (after checking they hadn’t been treated with chemicals).

The first project was a hedgehog house for the hedgehog we’d spotted in the garden. Apart from taking a while to make with a handsaw, the challenge was to make it cat-proof by including a slalom feature and sharp turn close to the entrance which cats struggle to bend around. Our trail camera caught a cat trying it out one night and it appeared to work as the cat got stuck before it got all the way in. Success!

We later covered the roof with asphalt offcuts kindly provided by a local roofing company we met when they cleaned the gutters.

The next project was a bee and bug hotel. The pallet wood made up the frame and we drilled into sections of branches that had blown down in the wind to make holes for solitary bees.

We built it based on information we found online however have since discovered that it’s better to have hotels that can be taken apart or replaced so they’re cleaned every year. It also turns out that combining both bee and bug shelter together in the one unit is not very effective, so from now on we’ll keep them separate.

Wildlife camera surprises

Although surrounded by farmer’s fields, we were able to set up the trail camera in a couple of neighbouring woodlands, as well as within the grounds of the château. Enjoy the short video I made to of the beasts we found lurking in the dark.

Cherry clafoutis, elderflower gin and nettle tea

Along with growing our own food, we were keen to make use of things growing on the property.

The huge cherry tree in the front garden didn’t disappoint and we were showered (literally) with an endless supply of fat juicy cherries over the summer. We embarked on as many cherry-based recipes we could think of - cue endless amounts of cherry clafoutis and cherry liqueur! To the point where we haven’t been able to face a single cherry since…

Once the bees had a good go at the elderflowers Fee used some to make elderflower gin. The taste definitely improved with consumption. Not even the nettles escaped the pot as we used some to make nettle tea, a nutrient rich fertiliser and handy insect repellent for plants. This one had to be kept far away from the house once it had ‘brewed’ because of the horrendous smell.

Seed collection

We let the plants in the potager go to seed and were able to collect some before we left. The lettuce seeds were easy enough to get hold of however the borage were trickier because it was all about timing. We couldn’t get the seeds too early because they were still green and not ready, but it could only be a day later that they would drop to the ground. This led to daily seed inspection sessions and finding the perfectly dried seed still attached was the ultimate victory.

Chemical-free weed suppression

We were keen to plant some bee and butterfly-friendly plants in this little round garden so started to take the grass by hand. It didn’t take long to realise we were facing a losing battle and needed to come up with an alternative approach.

Our permaculture books talked about grass and weed suppression with cardboard so we raided our recycling pile and made use of the wine, beer and delivery boxes. Once laid flat the shear volume of booze boxes always raised eyebrows for anyone visiting! We were quick to tell them it was over a very long period…

We left the cardboard on for a number of weeks during hot weather and it seemed to do the trick. Not having enough boxes to cover the whole garden provided plenty of incentive to finish off more beers.

Once the cardboard was removed we put a shout out on the local Facebook Buy-Swap-Sell page for spare plants, and a lovely local man kindly gave us some small lavenders and cotoneaster. These went in and we threw some wildflower seed over the bare soil in the hope that it will get a chance to germinate before the grass makes its way back.

Animal shelter

As winter approached we decided to make an animal shelter with some old bricks we found near the shed. We got the overall design from YouTube and added the leaves on top to provide an additional layer of protection. They will also be a handy source of bedding if residents decide they need a bit more padding. Hopefully a mouse or a hedgehog has used it as a nest or to shelter from the winter weather.

Accidental wildflower meadow and habitat creation

Things didn’t always go to plan and due to the big mower being out of action for a number of weeks the grass in the walled garden took off. The upside was the most fantastic wildflower meadow filled with butterflies, bees, bugs, voles, field mice and grass snakes.

We managed to buy a great little hatchet at the local supermarket so we could make our own fence posts and stakes from branches we collected when pruning. It was a surprise not to be eyed up suspiciously and asked for ID in the supermarket, as this is what happens when we purchase anything remotely sharp in the UK.

Before we left we lined the edge of the conifer hedge with fallen branches and autumn leaves so wildlife could use it for shelter and bedding over winter (this is also where we think the hedgehog lives).