Helping Garden Wildlife Through Winter

A garden pond, even a small one, is one of the most valuable additions for wildlife. Frogs and newts use it to breed, dragonflies and damselflies lay eggs in it, and birds and hedgehogs will drink and bathe at the edges given the chance.

Not every beneficial garden insect lives in a hive or a colony. Many UK bee species are solitary, nesting alone or in loose aggregations, and insects such as lacewings and ladybirds shelter individually or in small clusters, hedgehog houses particularly over winter. An insect house gives these species something a tidy garden often lacks: safe, undisturbed nesting and overwintering space.

Frogs and newts are useful garden residents, feeding on slugs and other insects, and their presence is generally a good sign that a pond is in reasonable health. Attracting them is mostly a matter of getting the habitat right rather than anything more involved.

Winter is one of the harder seasons for garden wildlife. Natural food becomes scarce, cold weakens smaller animals quickly, and many species rely on undisturbed shelter to see them through to spring rather than active foraging.

Food choice should shift with the seasons. High-fat foods such as fat balls and suet blocks suit the colder months, when birds need extra energy to maintain body heat. During the breeding season, softer foods and mealworms are more useful, since adult birds feed these to chicks that cannot yet manage tougher foods. Sunflower hearts work well year round and avoid the mess of husks left by whole sunflower seeds.

For gardeners wanting an alternative to chemical sprays, a soil-applied option is worth considering as a first step, and a good starting point is a range of slug nematodes for gardens suited to the pest in question.