Helping Hibernation

Helping Hibernation

Supporting wildlife and nature involves thinking about all the stages in the life cycle of the plants and animals we wish to help. As part of YCV’s management of the Community Orchard and other areas around Yaxley we try to provide a variety of habitats. This includes places to find food, water, shelter and nest sites. Flowers for butterflies and bees, nest boxes for birds and ponds for frogs to breed in are all examples.

However, it is often forgotten that much of our wildlife goes into hibernation over winter. Their survival depends on finding somewhere suitable to over- winter. For example - ladybirds will hibernate in the hollow stems of dead plants and hedgehogs in piles of leaves or logs. For the animals to be there in spring we have to help them through winter. Those moths and butterflies that come out in spring provide the caterpillars to feed garden birds when they are raising their young.

In the Community Orchard we have installed bug hotels, leave areas of vegetation uncut, have piles of leaves and hay and have some sheets of corrugated metal on the ground – different animals need different types of places to hibernate so we try to provide that variety. As another example you will also see sections of the wild flower patch behind the Pavilion in the Recreation Ground are left uncut to allow for insects to hibernate in them.

We can all do similar things in our own garden as we get them ready for winter – leave an out of the way corner as uncut vegetation during the winter -this can be cut later in spring. Piles up some logs, leave a few plant pots on their sides with straw inside, install a bug hotel etc and do what you can to help nature through the coldest months. This has been a difficult year for insects such as butterflies so anything we can do to keep up their numbers is a big help.

If you would like to assist us look after local wildlife please do get in touch secretary@ycv.org.uk