The Organic Gardening Podcast - December

We chat to Butterfly Conservation’s urban butterfly project officer about the importance of attracting more butterflies and nighttime pollinators such as moths.

Anthony McCluskey, who is based in Stirling, also provides some brilliant advice on things you can plant and do in your garden to help support pollinator populations.

“Butterflies and moths play a really important role in our garden ecosystem and food web. They collect pollen as they go about their business…and there are some wildflowers which are only pollinated by moths. They’re also a good food for birds,” he says.

“But our recent studies show more than 80 per cent of our UK butterfly species are in decline and a lot of our moths are in decline too. The major reasons are changes to agriculture, but urbanisation is having a role, and pesticides and herbicides too. If you want to boost butterfly numbers locally, you need to pack your garden with ‘caterpillar plants’.”

Also in this episode…

Chris, Emma and Fiona take time to reflect on their successes and failures this year, and Emma answers questions from the postbag including how to plant wildlife-friendly hedges, tackle leek moth and improve soil in greenhouses.

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