The Villains:
Grey Squirrel – Aka The destroyer:
Squirrels are clever and can figure out how to lift tops off things etc. When this approach fails, they will chew through plastic and wire until they get where they want to be.
Bank Vole – Aka Covert Gastronomer:
Don’t be fooled by its furry, wide-eyed apearance. Voles (and mice) will burrow down to and eat a wide variety of bulbs. This one clearly shows no appreciation for flowers!
Muntjac Deer – Aka Nimble Gnawers:
These agile jumpers are really hard to keep out. They are consumers of everything in their path, including stripping shrub and tree bark, which will kill the plant.
Slugs and snails – Aka Slime Balls:
Just Grrr! Too depressing to discuss!
Heroes:
Buff-tailed bumblebee – Pollinator
Blue Tit – Devours many pests including greenfly/blackfly.
Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly – A thing of beauty and pollinator.
Common Frog – Devours slugs and snails and (ooops!) worms
Hoverflies – Sometimes mistaken for bees or wasps, these are harmless insects whose larvae have a voracious appetite for aphids. Hurray!
On the Fence:
Grass snakes are fascinating and one of the few reptiles native to the UK, but their diet consists of mostly amphibians.
Pheasants – Beautiful, but can be destructive in the garden, especially to snakes-head fritillaries (in my experience)
Visiting Mallard ducks – Cute and unusual, but they can be pretty messy with pond plants … and I have a suspicion that they are snapping off the tête-a-tête daffodil flowers.
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