WILDLIFE COLUMN: A time of sun and showers

“Drip, drip, drop. Little April shower…” So go the lyrics from the song April Shower in the Disney film Bambi.

And this is indeed a month renowned for its changeable weather.

We often view this as something of a nuisance, disrupting plans and turning pleasant countryside walks into a scurry for the nearest shelter.

But if you think for a moment, you will soon realise how important these bouts of rain really are.

All these showers which land upon us, coupled with the warmer weather, leads to a veritable explosion in plant life.

Not for nothing is there an old saying “March winds and April showers, bring forth the May flowers”.

Plants need the extra sun from the lengthening days of spring, coupled with the fresh water to help them put out fresh shoots and leaves. It is our warm, wet springs that really does make this a green and pleasant land.

So why waste this bounty from nature? Rainwater collection kits which attach to your downpipes are easily found at most garden centres these days and can be very reasonable in price.

I am sure a lot of us can remember summer hosepipe bans. So saving water for use in your garden is a good idea.

More than that, using tap water for gardening puts extra pressure on the system.

Every drop that comes through your taps has had to be cleaned, treated and pumped around.

And there is a definite environmental cost associated with this.

A financial cost too, with most houses now on water meters.

So why not use nature’s free bounty instead?

There are other tricks too. Watering your garden in the evening will reduce evaporation, whilst using a watering can cuts down on waste.

So this month, turn those little April showers into pennies from heaven and invest in a water butt and rain water collecting system.