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NEWS: Colourful flower beds, flower strips and wildflower meadows - in spring and summer, many people now contribute to insect protection. But even in autumn there is still a lot you can do to protect insects and help them overwinter.
Although insect activity decreases from October onwards, many are still foraging on sunny days. In the garden, ivy flowers, for example, are an important source of food that continues into the winter. But there are also still opportunities on the balcony: chrysanthemums are still a source of food for bees, butterflies and other insects until the end of November. Another source of food in the garden or on the balcony are late-flowering stonecrops, such as Siebold's stonecrop, varieties of tall stonecrop and the yellow-flowering Tripmadam stonecrop or marigold.
However, other plants that no longer provide food are also important for overwintering insects. Some moths, for example, hibernate as pupae and attach themselves to various plants. Meadows should therefore no longer be mowed in autumn and shrubs and grasses should only be cut in spring. The majority of butterflies overwinter as caterpillars in the ground or under tree bark. To support them, leaves should be left in the garden in autumn and plants such as horseshoe clover, willows and wild herbs should be planted as food sources. Some bees hibernate in plant stems and hollow branches, so old wood, plant stems and above-ground cavities should be preserved throughout the winter and shrubs and bushes should not be pruned until spring. Bees can also be supported by insect hotels, dry stone walls, herb spirals and rock piles.
We can also help ourselves by protecting some insects. For example, beetles overwinter as larvae in the soil. When they hatch in spring, they feed on snails, worms and caterpillars. We can support them by keeping the soil healthy and rich in humus. Lacewings like to spend the winter in piles of leaves and brushwood. When they awaken in spring, they feed on aphids and the like.
All in all, the less cluttered the better. Leaves, tall grass, dead branches and much more provide insects with shelter in winter. But insects can also overwinter in the attic or in sheds. Some species of butterflies in particular prefer to retreat to such frost-protected places.
You can also make provisions for the end of winter. As many early bloomers as possible should be planted in the garden so that new food sources are available as early as possible. These include winter aconites, crocuses and spring snowflakes.
In this way, everyone can contribute to better nature conservation. For larger projects, it is often necessary to intervene in nature. Our team from the "Environment and Geotechnics" division is at your side as a competent partner and will help you to minimise such interventions or to carry them out in an environmentally friendly manner right from the planning phase.
Engineering for a better tomorrow.
#Biodiversity #Insect protection #mullandpartner #engineeringforabettertomorrow
