Hello ,

Have you ever thought about the fact that a compost heap is a mini hotspot of biodiversity?

A diversity hotspot is a bioregion with a very high biodiversity (variety of living species) and are often highly threatened through anthropogenic effects. So usually it refers to large areas with a huge number of species but, in the scope of your garden the compost heap is a mini hotspot!

The amount of microbial and invertebrate life within a compost heap is astonishing. You will find various kinds of fungi, spring tails, bark lice, wood lice, ear wigs, fly maggots, beetle larvae and much more all breaking down the buffet of rotting materials. Most of these have predators that will also find their way into the compost heap.

The biggest threat to the biodiversity of your compost heap is, well, you. You destroy the entire habitat when you turn over the compost heap and many of the inhabitants won't survive. Furthermore, when you move some of the compost that is ready to your plants, a few of the inhabitants will be in unsuitable environments and this could lead to their deaths.

So next time you get close to your compost heap, scratch around and see what life you can find in there. I can assure you that it will be much more interesting than what you currently anticipate!

Weekly Top Shot: