BEYOND BIRDWATCHING

February can be a dour month, admits James Lowen, but there is non-avian wildlife around if you know where to look VALENTINE BEAUTY

Don’t be put off searching for wildlife in February, says James Lowen, there’s plenty out there!

ALTHOUGH NOT MUCH OF A LOOKER, PALE BRINDLED BEAUTY IS THE FIRST MOTH TO EMERGE EACH YEAR. REMARKABLY, ANTIFREEZE IN ITS BLOOD HELPS IT SURVIVE WINTER FROSTS MAMMAL

NERVOUS FEEDERS In rural areas, there may be as much action below bird tables as on them. Bank Voles shelter nervously in nearby vegetation. When they judge the coast to be clear, they make a dash for the banquet of scattered crumbs and seeds that litter the ground below feeding stations. INVERTEBRATE

USHERING IN SPRING Moth-trapping continues to demand perseverance during February, but the arrival of a Spring Usher is ample reward for flicking the switch every evening. This smart moth favours oak woodland, but is regularly enticed to garden lights. PLANT

GLIMMER OF SPRING Particularly during unrelenting winters, we yearn for the merest indication of spring – the first suggestion of vibrant coloration to burst the dankness of greys and browns. Lesser Celandine is among the first blooms to answer our plaintive plea. Its compact yellow stars emerge by the month end to brighten damp woodland floors and hedge banks. INVERTEBRATE

STILL BUZZING Unlike Hedgehogs and, indeed, many species of bees and wasps, Honey Bees do not hibernate. Cold temperatures are bad for invertebrates (Pale Brindled Beauty moths apart), and the paucity of flowering plants means nectar is a negligible source of energy. The Honey Bee colony survives on its foresight – honey stored during summer’s times of plenty. Worker bees surrounding the queen and her brood nibble honey to boost their metabolic rate, then shiver to generate heat that keeps the colony warm.

MAMMAL

TUCKED UP… OR NOT? Theoretically, in February, Hedgehogs should be as snug as a bug in a rug. Hibernation nests are layered with leaves and concealed from intruders, principles transferred when providing artificial ‘Hedgehog homes’ (as here). The ideal winter nest provides unchanging conditions of 4°C. Any colder and the ‘hog’ burns valuable fat keeping its body temperature constant. Any milder, and the Hedgehog may wake and bimble around, seeking food to replenish its reserves. This is a risky time; nine-tenths of energy used during hibernation is unfortunately squandered during brief awakenings. AMPHIBIAN

THE DRAGONS AWAKE 2018 marks the halfway point in the 12-year-long cycle between Chinese Years of the Dragon. Britain’s tiny ‘dragons’ become active this month. Our three native newts trundle from their winter hideaways under logs or stones towards waterbodies where they will breed. Palmate Newt is Britain’s smallest such amphibian, and derives its name from the webbed hindfeet of the breeding male. A fan of acidic habitats such as heathland and moorland, Palmate Newt favours shallow, weed-free pools – so can be seen easily by torchlight after dark.