Elite Hotels has added a fourth establishment to its portfolio: the Bug Hotel here at Ashdown Park! Located in the Sunken Garden, this multi-storey facility features lots of cosy crevices for insects to relax in. Mini guests have been jumping, flying and crawling to this eco-friendly establishment stacked with twigs, canes, moss and straw.
Crafted by Ashdown Park gardener George Dunstall, the woody layers and small holes offer the perfect space for the tiniest creatures to call home, helping to maintain populations during the colder months. The hotel, which was built out of recycled pallets with a wooden roof, is just one of the measures the estate's team is putting into place to encourage wildlife.
"The day after I built it, there were so many bumble bees flying around it, check out what was there", says George. "We've seen loads of little invertebrates such as woodlice. The deer have had a nice little nose around too. It seems to be doing its thing naturally".
The team are always looking for new ways to encourage biodiversity, creating and maintaining habitats on the estate for a wide variety of flora and fauna. George's latest creation is a log pile near a pond on the golf course which will encourage toads into the area. They call it the 'Toad Abode'. There are also bird boxes and bat boxes all around the grounds.
"There are a lot of reports about the declining state of wildlife in this country at the moment," says George. "It's more important now than ever that we try to protect those species and look after our fragile ecosystems. A healthy ecosystem in a garden will help with disease prevention on plants, as well as enrich the soil and encourage wildlife."
The estate's woodland is also being monitored as part of a study into the feasibility of reintroducing pine martens - a special once near extinct in England - into the wild. Kent Wildlife Trust places cameras among the trees, which have filmed small mammals such as mice, voles and shrews. You can see the footage on our facebook page, under videos!
"I'm really proud of our Sunken Garden", adds George. "The idea of the garden is that nothing leaves. If a branch falls, it is reused. Fallen leaves are composted and used on the borders as mulch. We have a dead hedge that runs alongside it, so the branches can be used to fill that out, which then creates habitat"
The Sunken Garden is also now a key checkpoint on our Hundred Aker Trail. So when you go looking for 'Eeyore's Gloomy Place', take a moment to walk around the garden and see what other creatures you can spot rustling around their thoughtfully designed home.