22 Nature Notes Lots to enjoy in the Great Outdoors A


Prepare for change


s the season turns, colours change, leaves fall, birds migrate and animals start to hibernate. Timings vary from year to year depending


on the weather whilst birds and animals are busy gathering and stashing their winter reserves. With declining supplies in nectar and pollen,


wildlife rely on the fruit and berries from native plants like crab apple, holly, elder, birch and hawthorn. Don’t forget to leave seedheads in the garden to attract garden birds gathering essential wintering provisions.


Where does everyone go?


Adult LADYBIRDS spend the winter in a dormant state, often in groups in sheltered spots such as under tree bark.


The BRIMSTONE BUTTERFLY is one of only a few butterfly species to hibernate as an adult. Other butterflies overwinter as pupae.


SNAILS generally hibernate in winter. In dry conditions they will retreat inside their shells, sealing themselves in and remaining this way for several months if necessary.


In Britain FROGS, TOADS AND NEWTS commonly like to hibernate in a cool, dark shelter over winter – damp piles of leaves and twigs are popular along with compost heaps where they won’t be disturbed. On warmer days they can emerge for brief periods.


BUMBLEBEES have an annual lifecycle with new queen bumblebees hibernating alone underground after mating and feeding to survive the winter months. The old queen and the rest of the colony do not survive the winter.


MOLES don’t hibernate – they work all year round to find food. They are rarely seen above ground and spend most of their time alone never leaving their burrows. They feed on worms, larvae and beetles, paralysing their prey with saliva and storing food supplies in their tunnels.


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