During the winter months with colder and shorter days, many of the species we love to see in our gardens struggle to get by. There are many things we can do to help wildlife survive this winter, from keeping your bird feeders full to providing water. Here are some winter wildlife tips about how you can do your bit to help wildlife during the colder months...
Keep feathered friends fed
During the winter months birds need to increase their food intake. It can often become harder to find food and with the shorter days they don’t have as much time to do so. To give them a helping hand try to keep your bird feeders full with high energy foods such as peanuts.
DON'T BE TOO TIDY
Don't worry about getting your garden ready for winter this year! By not tidying up your garden for the winter and leaving more wild areas alone, shelter can be provided for all different types of wildlife, including birds and insects.
attract visitors to your garden
It's not just garden birds that struggle during the colder months - It can also be hard for foxes, hedgehogs and other wildlife to find the food that they need to survive. Putting out small amounts of food this winter will be a welcomed treat - and you might even spot a fox or hedgehog in your garden. You can keep track of any wildlife sightings in our handy wildlife journal, record the species you notice and look back on them in years to come.
Provide enough water
As the temperature drops bird baths may freeze over, and for other wildlife water may be hard to find. Placing shallow dishes of water out in your garden every day will help to keep different types of wildlife hydrated this winter.
It is also great to keep an eye on whether any ponds are frozen over – this can cause toxic gases to build up which can be fatal for wildlife. Making a hole in the ice can prevent this from happening, we would recommend carefully placing a saucepan of hot water on the surface of the ice to melt a hole. Avoid breaking any ice with force as you may harm any fish under the icy surface.
Keep an eye out FOR bees
Although rarely seen, we do occasionally see the odd bee throughout winter on milder days. To help them out this winter, place plants that are really rich in nectar in the spots of your garden that catch the winter sun - winter flowering heather is a good example and can be found at your local garden centre.
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celebrate nature all year round...
Celebrate nature all year round with our collection of beautifully illustrated gardening belts, bags and more. Why not use our handy wildlife journal to keep a log of any wildlife sightings you may see in your garden throughout the different seasons?
Want to shop gardening? Click here to view the collection.