Wildlife-friendly tips for the cold weather

Birds will appreciate you putting out food as well as fresh water each day – not just to drink but to bathe in, keeping their feathers in tip-top condition helping to keep out the cold. Mammals will benefit from access to fresh water, too. Replenishing regularly will keep any ice at bay.

By not cutting back flowering plants and hedgerows late in the autumn, birds and mammals can access wild seeds and berries for a welcome boost.

Leaving areas of your garden undisturbed, with leaf litter, log piles and long grass, will offer wildlife, of all types, refuge from the elements. You could buy or make DIY shelters like hedgehog houses or bird boxes for dry, frost-free roosting. Another good wildlife asset for your green space would be a hibernaculum, providing a cosy winter retreat above and below ground, welcomed by newts, frogs, toads and reptiles. An alternative would be a dead hedge, simple to construct and providing year-round shelter for a multitude of wildlife.

Finally, as we’ve seen some unseasonably warm weather in between the recent cold snaps, some hedgehogs may have come out of hibernation temporarily. If you are lucky enough to have these beautiful animals gracing your garden, by leaving out fresh food and water (never milk as it’s not good for them – or cows) each evening for any currently active, we can help our spikey friends through to the Spring!