Lumpy Ground
What?
Smooth, level ground may be convenient for people, but it’s poor for wildlife. Flat, uniform surfaces offer little variety in soil, moisture or micro-climate — the diversity that nature thrives on. By creating lumpy, uneven terrain, you increase surface area and multiply the number of niches available for plants and animals to colonise, turning ordinary ground into a mini-landscape full of life.
Where?
Everywhere: gardens, field margins, school grounds, business sites, brownfields and restoration areas. This can mean reshaping spoil heaps, using brash from hedge cutting, or recycling soil and rubble from construction sites. Even small mounds beside paths or car parks can make a difference. For site-specific actions, check out the Isle of Wight Habitat Map, and find out what is particularly special around your garden or space.
How?
Reuse what you already have. Pile up soil, rubble, sand or timber rather than removing it — create hummocks, dips, hollows and banks.
Mix materials. Blend earth with stones, logs or branches to form strong, varied structures that support different species.
Include wet and dry zones. Incorporate shallow basins that hold seasonal water and raised areas that dry quickly — this variation attracts amphibians, reptiles, and a wide range of plants.
Value slopes. Sloping ground naturally generates moisture and soil gradients — thin and dry at the top, deep and damp below — perfect for increasing plant diversity.
Sow a meadow mix or allow natural colonisation; local wildflowers and grasses will quickly settle into the micro-habitats.
Let it evolve. Resist tidying or levelling. Nature will shape and stabilise the contours over time.
When?
Lumpy ground can be created at any time, though autumn and winter are easiest for earth-moving and planting. Allow at least a full growing season for natural colonisation to begin.
Why?
Varied topography increases biodiversity, supports drainage, and reduces maintenance costs — no mowing or carting spoil away. Mounds and slopes also buffer noise and wind, capture rainwater, and store carbon in vegetation and soil. Embracing “lumpy” terrain reconnects built spaces with the Island’s natural landscape ecology, creating refuges and stepping stones that expand and extend the ranges of rare and threatened species.
Actions for Isle of Wight Species
Slow worms, common lizards and grass snakes use sun-warmed slopes and rubble piles for basking and egg-laying.
Mining bees and Beetles breed in south-facing sandy banks.
Amphibians such as frogs and toads use temporary pools in hollows for breeding and feeding.
Butterflies including small blues and browns favour sheltered banks rich in wildflowers.
Myriapods (centipedes and millipedes) and many other invertebrates thrive in the varied moisture and shade of uneven soil.
Observe and Record
Take photos before and after — even a few months apart shows change.
Note what wildlife you find, don’t forget to look under logs and stones.
Watching your patch change is part of the recovery story, your records can feed into the Island’s Local Nature Recovery data. The deliberate design of these kinds of ‘miniworld’ is both an art and a science and we all have much to learn from each other’s experiments.