Every day, thousands of insects perform important roles in the ecosystem. While arthropods (which includes insects and arachnids) are often greeted with fear and loathing, without them the health of our gardens—and indeed the lives of many other species—would be in jeopardy.

Take a bug’s eye view of your backyard and discover something new and find ways to encourage arthropods to use your garden as a source of food and shelter.

Insects on the Menu
Insects and arachnids (spiders, mites, ticks and scorpions) are an important food source for many different animals. They are eaten by other insects, birds, reptiles and mammals. If you would like to see other animals appear in your garden, then the presence of insects is essential. Some insects feed on other insects and keep numbers down. For example, Ladybirds hunt scale insects, mealybugs and the dreaded—and introduced— aphid.

Blooming Flowers
Butterflies, moths and bees are important in the life cycle of plants as flowers are pollinated by these flying visitors. Pollen sticks to the feet and body of insects that are attracted to the flower’s nectar. This pollen is then carried to the next flower where it provides new genetic material. Australia is home to an enormous range of native bees. The best known is the Stingless Bee. While these resemble the introduced European Bee, they behave quite differently and have no sting. Feral, or introduced bees, cause major problems in Australia. They take over tree hollows which leaves native animals like cockatoos and possums without homes.

Good Soils
Invertebrates are great for your soil—earthworms especially. As earthworms move through the ground, they create tunnels which aerate the soil. They break down plant matter and animal waste that would otherwise remain where it fell. Their faeces, or ‘castings’, also add valuable nutrients to the soil.

Butterflies Coming for Dinner
When it comes to butterflies and moths, the plant the caterpillar lives on (the host plant) is often different from the plant the butterfly or moth collects nectar from. For feeding, butterflies are generally attracted to daisy-type flowers, whereas moths prefer fragrant cream and white flowers that are easy to locate at night. However, as long as you have flowering plants in your garden, butterflies and moths will be attracted to whatever is available.

No Caterpillars, No Butterflies
Having some chewed leaves in your garden is not the end of the world. Caterpillars bring birds and other animals into your garden. The price you may have to pay for good biodiversity in your area may be a few chewed leaves. Caterpillars enjoy crepe myrtle, everlastings and native violets.

Spiders – the Good Guys
Spiders are an important part of any ecosystem. Their main role is to control the insect population. In the Perth metropolitan area, there are over 100 different species. Only a small number of these can inflict harmful bites.

Here are some other tips…

• Use a natural mulch made from leaf litter and twigs on your garden. Not only will this provide a home for beetles, worms and reptiles, it will also mean your garden will require less water.
• Any long-flowering plant with abundant nectar will attract insects—and therefore other animals—to your garden.
• Australia has around 6,000 species of native snails, none of which are harmful to garden plants. Those that do attack the garden are introduced species. Snails are part of the diet of many different native animals and they also contribute to the breakdown and recycling of natural matter.
• If you find unwanted pests in your garden, use natural pest control methods. Insecticides can harm beneficial insects and can also poison animals. If you have a severe outbreak of a pest, it is usually because the ecological balance in your garden has been upset—such as the extermination of natural predators by pesticides.

 Insect-friendly Garden Information Sheet