Community Nature Reserve

Register your space to help build the Community Nature Reserve

Share your tips and experiences to inspire others.

Connect with like-minded people.

Learn new ways to enhance your space.

Your space can be a garden, allotment or even just a window box – all are welcome.

We now have a Facebook group!

Join the Facebook group to see news and updates, connect with other members and get more out of your community network.

How to register

Complete the online form or download and print the form (link below) and return it to us by email, post or in-person.

Visit us in Town Hall, High Street, Thornbury, Bristol, BS35 2AR (during office hours). Hard copies will also be available at the library and Thornbury Town Hall reception.

March is a glorious month in the wildlife-friendly garden with the three ‘Bs’; birds, bugs and buds all actively gearing up for the summer to come. Birds will be looking for mates and nesting sites. Males are trying out their voices, joining the robin who has been singing all winter long, claiming their territory and showing off their suitability to raise chicks.

Bugs will start to emerge from winter hibernation and will be very hungry. Early flowering plants such as primroses, crocuses and daffodils can not only look gorgeous in your lawn but will provide vital nectar for early emerging pollinators. Dandelions are also a great source of nectar and can be deadheaded before they seed if you are concerned about them taking over your garden.

With the lengthening days, trees and shrubs will start to come back into life, with buds and leaves bursting forth. The planting season for trees and native hedges is over for the time being but hopefully planting efforts made in the coldest winter months can now start to (literally in some cases) bear fruit. Remember, now is not the time to cut your hedges or trees - with birds looking for nests, hedge cutting is prohibited between March and September.

March is a great time to think about what else you might grow in your garden to support wildlife throughout the year. Wildflower seeds, both perennials and annuals, can be planted into the warming soil. From a small pot to an entire lawn, planting wildflower seeds now is an investment in a summer garden buzzing with colour and life.

While March can still have a sting in the tail weather-wise, on those beautiful early spring days when the sun shines and the sky is blue, there is surely no better place to be than in the wildlife-friendly garden. Enjoy!