How to help wildlife survive even bleakest midwinter
In the winter, there is nothing we love more than being tucked up cosily in our homes to get through the harsh cold weather. Minus the Christmas films and mulled wine, our local wildlife is no different.
During the winter months, many creatures either find a place to nest for weather protection or go into full hibernation – and our gardens can provide a safe haven.
The Greenhouse People has created a guide on how to protect wildlife and give it a home this winter.
■ Hedgehogs are a gardener’s best friend. They help keep garden pests in check without the need for harsh chemical pesticides.
To return the favour in the harsh weather, the best thing you can do for their wellbeing is create your very own hedgehog B&B – a safe place for them to nest and hibernate.
During their winter-to-spring slumber, hedgehogs build most of their fat, so put down some bait to attract them to the hub you’ve created. They’ll need all the sustenance they can get before they retire for the months ahead, so take note that they are rather partial to tinned dog or cat food (not fish-based).
Your guest’s ideal mattress is a compost heap or a nest of leaves and logs. Make sure their home is in a quiet corner of the garden, so they are is disturbed as little as possible.
■ Birds. Although there are great natural feeding sources birds can feast on, such as berries, these are few and far between in this most difficult season.
Birds rely on the food you put out much more in winter, so keep on top of your supplies. Small birds, like sparrows, can eat small seeds, such as millet. Nyger seeds, which are rich in fat, are good, as are crushed, plain peanuts. Fat balls are excellent winter food but take them out of their nylon mesh bags as the netting can trap and injure birds. Don’t forget fresh water and regularly clean bird baths and feeders. ■ Amphibians hibernate too! If your garden leaves shedding seems to be neverending, you have a great excuse not to tidy them away. Toads and newts tend to spend their winter under piles of leaves and in greenhouses to hibernate. Try not to disturb them in their slumber and if you do feel the need to clean, clean carefully.
Frogs, on the other hand, can often hibernate at the bottom of ponds. To help with their energy, make sure the pond foliage is getting enough of what it needs to photosynthesise – lots of plants and lots of light.
If your frogs prefer to rest in the open air, make a hibernaculum. Create a small trench, cover with grass, then add a layer of natural garden scraps.
■ Protecting beneficial bugs. Often overlooked in the winter months, creepy-crawlies also need a place to rest and build up energy.
Helping them is easy enough, with their favoured sleeping spot being a simple pile of leaves. Much like amphibian resting places, this gives you a great excuse to let leaves fall naturally and avoid a regular raking schedule.
Some bugs hibernate or “overwinter”, so they look to your plants to find a place to go. Ladybirds congregate to slumber on dead plant stems (often in covered areas of your green spaces), so leaving your pruning until the summer could create a great home for them.
If you’d rather not have larger creatures in your garden, but still want to help, make a bee and bug pit stop. Patchwork leaf-cutter bees and many other bugs take to gaps in wood, like logs and sticks, to lock themselves away for the winter. You can drill holes in your spare wood.