No chemicals here apart from occasional weedkiller on the drive which is fine, dark grey grit. OH hoes it regularly but it takes several days and is soul destroying.  However, weed killers are now banned here so hoeing it will be.  We have a paddock, about 1.5 acres, that has had neither man nor beast nor chemical since we arrived apart form chappy dumping the crud he cleared from our pond to make a berm along the bottom.Â
You'd think it would be humming with insects in the mix of long grasses and wildflowers but no. Â
We also have left patches of nettles and wild apple mint elsewhere for the insects and have mixed hedges and trees all round the perimeter so why aren't there more insects, especially butterflies?Â
Not really cos of all the trees round the boundaries and in neighbouring gardens and fields.  France has only recently woken up to the dangers of pesticides and herbicides so maybe it's just too late for some species here or they're taking their time to recover in this new haven.
That's probably it @Obelixx, the insects haven't yet found their way back to all the goodies in your garden! I think you've mentioned birds before though?Â
Yes, not a lot of variety there either. Lots of sparrows, blue and great tits, some chaffinches and an occasional wren and robin.  Then blackbirds, magpies and turtle doves plus visits from starlings en masse. Little brown jobs I can't identify flitting about in the hedges and trees but not visiting the feeders. Seasonal hoopoes.  Nightingales our first year but not last year.  Owls and cuckoos heard but not seen.
It's very easy to be critical of those who use weedkillers. But there are many people who still want a nice garden but, for whatever reason, are unable to weed by hand and can't afford to hire a gardener.
We also have left patches of nettles and wild apple mint elsewhere for the insects and have mixed hedges and trees all round the perimeter so why aren't there more insects, especially butterflies?Â
I'm a big believer in patchwork habitats. Wildflower meadows are great but you need as much variety as possible sometimes to provide full lifecycle habitat for some creatures. You can have flowers for butterflies and food plants for the caterpillars but nowhere for the butterflies to shelter or hibernate for example. Times that by the many thousands of interdependant insects all with slightly different niches and requirements and you can see how hard it is to restore habitats.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
It's very easy to be critical of those who use weedkillers. But there are many people who still want a nice garden but, for whatever reason, are unable to weed by hand and can't afford to hire a gardener.
Every situation is different but it's always worth double checking your options. No-dig techniques and physical weed barriers can reduce the amount of gardening required compared to weed killer sometimes. It's like plastic grass though, for some people it might be the best option but for most it's just the lazy or ignorant choice. People can be completely sucked in by the marketing promises and aren't aware of the long term consequences.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
I know Nut and thanks. Been here 30 months now this in possession a bit longer.  We have a ruined house where the swallows nest inside and others such as black redstarts nest in the walls. There are 2 open sided barns which provide shelter for wood pigeons and, we assume, invertebrates. There's a large pond which attracts frogs and toads but haven't seen newts. Â
The grass is more daisy, clover and other wildflowers than grass and there are trees and hedgerows and a huge log pile and a stone pile and a branch pile.  Doing my best to choose plants for pollinators.
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You'd think it would be humming with insects in the mix of long grasses and wildflowers but no. Â
We also have left patches of nettles and wild apple mint elsewhere for the insects and have mixed hedges and trees all round the perimeter so why aren't there more insects, especially butterflies?Â
The grass is more daisy, clover and other wildflowers than grass and there are trees and hedgerows and a huge log pile and a stone pile and a branch pile.  Doing my best to choose plants for pollinators.
Will just have to be patient.