What can I put out at night to help wildlife?

[Veara]

Not exactly a gardening question but didn’t know where else to put it.

Live in a semi rural location. Believe I get foxes in my garden but unsure what else.

What can I put out at night to help wildlife?

Help them in what way? Encourage them into your garden, do you mean?

Water
Meaty cat food for hedgehogs

I put water out regularly in my little garden, I use an old paint roller tray as it’s too shallow for anything to get stuck in. The birds love it, occasionally catch the neighbours cat having a drink too. There hasn’t been much rain where I am (SE) these last few weeks.

Dish of water, not just overnight, would be good in the hot weather. I have a big plant pot saucer I use, with some pebbles in in case bees fall in. It's about an inch or 2 deep. A foot across.

Hedgehog food / meat cat food, but look up how to stop cats getting it with a plastic box and bricks.

Hedgehog holes in fences.

Not sure about feeding the foxes. Might be more harmful than helpful tbh. Don't want to acclimatise them to people / people spaces.

Bat boxes?

If you want to go long term, assuming you don't already have one, a wildlife pond? A proper one, no fish, no filtration or pump. Lots of plants. A way for hedgehogs to get out.

Yes, basically a saucer of water is one of the best things.

Water.
Cat food, if you think you may have foxes/hedgehogs.

You might like to buy a wildlife camera so you see what visits your garden at night!

Water in a shallow container. I only discovered I had hedgehogs when I put a large plant saucer of water out in one of the dry spells (also squirrels loved it, plunging in up to their tiny elbows).currently loads of birds have a bath too

Meaty ( but NOT fishy) cat food for hedgehogs if you're not keen on encouraging foxes, get a proprietary hedgehog feeder or put food under a paving slab balanced on 4 bricks

Water as everyone has said, especially a pond which encourages insects for bat's. Also night scented flowers for the moths and bat's that feed on them, thinks like honeysuckle and nicotine

The Hedgehog Cabin website (it's a hedgehog rescue) has some info about making a feeder for hedgehogs and other things. https://hedgehogcabin.info

I have this great book which has loads of ideas about how to help all sorts of wildlife in your garden - projects like wildlife ponds already mentioned by pp but also, the best plants for pollinators etc.

www.waterstones.com/book/rhs-how-can-i-help-hedgehogs/helen-bostock/sophie-collins/9781784726218

Shallow dishes of water with pebbles for bees and butterflies. Plant different flowers so you have blooms all year round for the bees. Very very ripe bananas will attract butterflies. Bug hotels for the solitary bees.

We got 2 chicken water things last summer which seemed a hit.

Put a pond in!

Wild patch of grass/wildflowers

I bought a ladybug house at the garden Center the other day which I didn’t even know was a thing

Bird houses and hedgehog houses (and gaps in fences as a wildlife highway)

Chicken water thing:

I've just planted some night scented stock and some Nicotina.

Hoping the bats thank me as they zoom past of an evening

I have badgers, so I buy badger food.

So many ideas. Thank you all so much.