March marks the beginning of spring, bringing longer days, rising temperatures, and a flurry of activity in the natural world. Birds begin nesting, bees emerge from hibernation, and butterflies start seeking food after winter.
This is a crucial time to support wildlife in your garden, ensuring that birds, bees, and butterflies have the food, shelter, and safe spaces they need to thrive. Here’s how you can make a difference this March with some simple, wildlife-friendly gardening tips.
1. Help Garden Birds with Food & Shelter
March is nesting season, and birds need all the help they can get to build their nests and find food.
✅ How to Help Birds in March:
- Keep feeding stations topped up with high-energy foods like sunflower hearts, suet, mealworms, and peanuts to support nesting birds.
- Put up nesting boxes for species like blue tits, robins, and sparrows—position them in a quiet, sheltered spot.
- Leave out natural nesting materials like twigs, moss, and pet fur to help birds build strong nests.
- Provide fresh water for drinking and bathing, checking daily for ice on frosty mornings.
🌿 Tip: If birds are already building nests in your hedges or trees, delay trimming until after nesting season (August) to avoid disturbing them.
2. Attract Early Bees with Nectar-Rich Flowers
Bees start emerging in March, hungry for nectar and pollen after months of hibernation. Without enough food, many struggle to survive.
✅ Best Plants for Bees in March:
- Crocuses – One of the earliest sources of nectar.
- Snowdrops – Great for queen bumblebees coming out of hibernation.
- Lungwort (Pulmonaria) – A bee magnet in early spring.
- Primroses & Violets – Low-growing but packed with pollen.
- Willow Catkins – Vital for early pollinators, so avoid cutting them back.
🌿 Tip: If you have space, plant a small wildflower patch to provide continuous food for pollinators through spring and summer.
3. Create Safe Spaces for Overwintering Butterflies
Many butterflies hibernate over winter and start waking up in March. They need nectar, shelter, and warm spots to sunbathe.
✅ How to Help Butterflies in March:
- Leave ivy and old plant stems intact until temperatures warm up—some butterflies, like peacocks and small tortoiseshells, hibernate in them.
- Plant nectar-rich flowers such as primroses, daisies, and aubretia to give them an early food source.
- Provide a suntrap – Butterflies need warm, sheltered spots to absorb heat and get their wings moving. A stone wall, fence, or large rock can help.
- Offer a fruit feeder – Leaving out overripe bananas or oranges attracts butterflies like red admirals before flowers become abundant.
🌿 Tip: If you find a hibernating butterfly indoors, move it to a cool shed or garage rather than releasing it into the cold too soon.
4. Make Your Garden Wildlife-Friendly
Simple wildlife-friendly gardening can make a huge difference for birds, bees, butterflies, and other species.
✅ Easy Ways to Help Wildlife in March:
- Let dandelions bloom – They’re one of the first nectar sources for bees. Mow them later in spring once other flowers are available.
- Leave a wild corner – A pile of logs, long grass, or a compost heap provides shelter for insects, frogs, and hedgehogs.
- Avoid pesticides – Many insecticides harm pollinators and beneficial bugs. Use companion planting or biological pest control instead.
- Fill gaps in hedges – Thick hedges protect nesting birds and offer shelter for small mammals like hedgehogs.
🌿 Tip: Even small changes (like letting your lawn grow a little longer) can make a big difference for garden wildlife.
5. Support Hedgehogs & Other Small Mammals
Hedgehogs are waking up from hibernation in March and need food, water, and safe passage to move between gardens.
✅ How to Help Hedgehogs in March:
- Leave out fresh water and specialist hedgehog food (or cat food, but not milk or bread).
- Create a hedgehog highway – Leave a small gap in fences so they can move between gardens.
- Check for hedgehogs before strimming or turning compost – They often hide in leaf piles and log stacks.
- Build a hedgehog home – A wooden box or pile of logs and leaves makes a perfect shelter.
🌿 Tip: If you see a thin or wobbly hedgehog in March, it may need help. Contact a wildlife rescue centre for advice.
6. Avoid Disturbing Frogspawn & Tadpoles
March is the breeding season for frogs and toads, and many garden ponds will be full of frogspawn.
✅ Pond Care for Wildlife in March:
- Avoid cleaning out your pond now, as it may disturb frogspawn or overwintering insects.
- Don’t move frogspawn—frogs lay eggs in the best spot for survival.
- Provide shallow exit points (like sloped stones) so young frogs can climb out easily.
🌿 Tip: If you don’t have a pond, a simple water dish with stones can help pollinators and birds drink safely.
7. Get Ready for Nesting Birds
By mid-March, birds are choosing nesting sites, and you can make your garden a safe haven for them.
✅ How to Make Your Garden Bird-Friendly in Spring:
- Delay hedge trimming until after nesting season (August) to avoid disturbing nests.
- Put up nest boxes in quiet, sheltered areas.
- Avoid disturbing nesting sites in sheds, porches, or hedges.
- Leave dead stems and twigs for birds to collect as nesting material.
🌿 Tip: If you see a fledgling on the ground, leave it alone—its parents are likely nearby, watching over it.
Final Thoughts: Small Actions, Big Impact!
March is a crucial month for wildlife, and a few simple gardening changes can make your garden a haven for birds, bees, butterflies, and hedgehogs.
Quick Recap – How to Help Wildlife in March:
✅ Feed garden birds & provide nesting boxes.
✅ Plant early flowers to support bees & butterflies.
✅ Leave wild areas for sheltering insects & small mammals.
✅ Avoid pesticides to protect pollinators.
✅ Check hedges & trees for nests before trimming.
✅ Provide water & food for hedgehogs & birds.
✅ Keep ponds safe for frogspawn & tadpoles.
By supporting wildlife in March, you’ll help your garden buzz with life all year round!
Need Help Creating a Wildlife-Friendly Garden?
If you’d like expert advice on hedge trimming, planting for pollinators, or making your garden more wildlife-friendly, Project Garden is here to help!
📞 Call 07795 800 772
📧 Email info@projectgarden.co.uk
🌿 Let’s make your garden a paradise for wildlife!