Promoting Biodiversity
We are very fortunate to live in an area of outstanding natural beauty and we often see many different species of flora and fauna.
During your stay with us, depending upon the time of year, you can expect to see amazing butterflies, moths and a plentiful supply of other insects. There are a couple of toads who live in the long grass at the edge of the lawn. Rabbits and foxes are plentiful in the surrounding fields and if you venture out at dusk, you may well even encounter our local deer and watch with amazement as bats swoop around at speed.
We do our very best to encourage nature to thrive. We use llama beans (poo) as fertiliser on our veggie patch and you will notice that we leave wildflowers to bloom around the edges of the yard to attract pollinators. We also let teasels grow along our hedgerow in the lane, as these are loved by the goldfinches who nest further on up, in the hedge, by the llamas.
Robins, blackbirds, house sparrows, pigeons, bluetits and wagtails also nest here year in and year out, whilst our least favourite visiting birds include the heron that regularly tries to grab the fish from our pond and a woodpecker that has almost destroyed the top bar of our driveway gate!
The swallows nest in 3 of our barns and up at our house and tend to raise two broods each year. Visitors in the summer will enjoy watching the youngsters gain wing strength before heading off on the long journey back to Africa for the winter.
Swallows will always return to previous nests and lay between 5 and 8 eggs at a time.
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The eggs hatch after a couple of weeks and both parents work hard to feed the young
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In the summer of 2024, our biodiversity efforts were recognised when we were awarded 'Wildlife Garden' status by Somerset Wildlife Trust
