How to Create a Garden Wildlife Haven
- half day workshop with Charlotte Parton of The Sustainable Garden and South Devon ecologist John Walters

Charlotte Parton, founder of The Sustainable Garden hosts this half day workshop, which includes a guided tour of the nature pond and a perennial native wildflower meadow. Find out how they were created from scratch to help boost biodiversity and see for yourself what abundant habitats they have become today.

Co-hosting is renowned ecologist John Walters, a regular speaker for the Wildlife Trusts and Natural History Society, author of The Wildlife of Dartmoor and The Minibeast Guide. John has consulted on BBC programmes Life in the Undergrowth and Bill Oddie Goes Wild. During our ‘mini beast’ hunt, John will show you the large number of native species these different habitats support – the rich diversity of birds, bees, butterflies, insects and amphibians that thrive in the garden and which plants are particularly important for certain species.

As Charlotte and John explain, even making a small flower meadow and a pond creates environments which provides food, water and shelter for bees and thousands of other insects and pollinators, habitats for endangered species such as butterflies (whose numbers have declined 76% in just four decades), birds, and many other types of wildlife. Charlotte created the meadow in 2017, and it has been flourishing year-after- year, with British native species, including ragged-robin, knapweed, birds-foot trefoil, ox-eye daises, lady’s bedstraw and wild carrot.

Charlotte will also show the group other areas of the seven-acre smallholding, including the old cider orchard, an ancient hay meadow, hedgerows and a long grass meadow, describing how she manages these for ecology and sustainability.

Please note the site is fairly steep and there are no formal footpaths, paths are mown grass so please wear suitable study footwear and be prepared for a wee bit of exertion!

The half day workshop is £15 including tea and cake. Morning or afternoon sessions available. All funds raised are for Moor Meadows.

Places are limited to 16 per workshop, so please book your place here: 

Charlotte’s beautiful wild garden teeming with life

Ecologist John Walters with his sweep net

The pond framed by meadow