Creating a Wild Space doesn’t have to cost the earth. We’ve put together our top tips for how you can create a space in which butterflies and moths can thrive, on a budget or even for free!
1) Pick your plants
Adding plants to a Wild Space doesn’t have to be pricey – there are lots of ways you can fill your plot with flowers, shrubs, herbs and trees perfect for butterflies and moths cheaply or for free.
The first place to check is your local supermarket – you can often find potted herbs and packets of seeds cheaper there than at the garden centre. Try reaching out to friends and family to see if they have any spare seeds, or if you can collect some seeds from their Wild Space. You could also speak to neighbours and organise a community seed swap. Once you’ve grown your plants, you can collect and store the seeds from them for next year!
2) Recycle old containers
A Wild Space can be any size and you don’t have to shell out on new pots and planters to create one. Eggboxes and old toilet rolls are great ways to grow seedlings, you can make use of old buckets, washing-up bowls or wellies as pots, repurpose old tyres or pallets to create raised planters and beds, and ask around your local neighbourhood to see if anyone is getting rid anything you could turn into a place to hold plants – get creative!
3) Take cuttings
There are lots of plants and trees which you can take cuttings from and grow whole new ones for free! Ask friends, family and neighbours if they’d be happy for you to take a few cuttings from their plants. Or, if you have existing plants, consider taking a few cuttings to grow for your own space or to swap with others to create more variety in your Wild Space. Some great plants to take cuttings from include Lavender, Rosemary, Buddleia, Holly and Willow. You can even take cuttings from fruit trees, which can be great for attracting lots of different wildlife to your Wild Space.
4) Make your own compost
So, you’ve got the space, and you’ve got some seeds, but what about the soil? Making your own compost is a great way to make use of your kitchen and garden waste and make sure it’s peat-free at the same time. Layer up things like leaves, grass cuttings, vegetable peelings and shredded cardboard – use a mixture of wet and dry materials and try to keep a ration of around 50:50 of green materials (like grass and kitchen peelings) to brown materials (like woody stems and cardboard). You can make your
compost in a bin, an old box, or even just a covered pile, but the key is to keep it warm and moist and to turn the material frequently to help speed up decomposition. While you’re waiting, you can also check around your local area or online community pages where people are often getting rid of soil or compost that you can use, or your supermarket may also be selling cheaper peat-free compost.
5) Let it be
Sometimes the simplest and most cost-effective way to create a Wild Space is to let whatever you have already grow a bit wild. Butterfly Conservation’s research shows that leaving long grass and letting your Ivy flower can make a massive difference for butterflies and moths in your Wild Space. Trimming your hedges less often, leaving patches of wildflowers and nettles, and letting leaflitter lie can all provide vital habitat for a variety of butterflies and moths. And it doesn’t have to be your whole outdoor space, even a small patch of wildness can help! Make a promise to let your grass grow long here and receive a free guide on managing your grass for butterflies and moths Make your promise to butterflies and moths | Butterfly Conservation
You can also speak to your council about letting the green spaces around you, like verges, hedgerows, roundabouts and parks go a bit wild and become Wild Spaces of their own. For more top tips on creating Wild Spaces, check out our info hub
