Autumn leaves: friend or foe?

Autumn leaf fall is very good news for animals such as ladybirds, hedgehogs and insects. They need a warm, dry place to hibernate or shelter. Consider creating a leaf pile in a quiet, sheltered corner or under evergreen shrubs.

Alternatively, leaving leaves where they fall will improve the soil and provide food for invertebrates such as worms. If tidiness is important you could stack the leaves in a covered mesh bin and make some leaf-mould for use as a soil conditioner or mulch.

Leaf fall is not such good news for small wildlife ponds. Decomposing leaves can release toxins and noxious gases as well as removing vital oxygen from the water (stagnation). Aquatic animals can be poisoned or starved of oxygen. So leaves need to be removed or netting stretched across the pond to catch them. Remember to leave some access for frogs and other wildlife, such as birds wanting to drink and wash.

When hibernation becomes cremation

The temperature is falling and food is becoming more scarce. In response to this many animals hibernate or slow their activity to conserve energy through the leaner months. Hibernation is a form suspended animation brought on by some dramatic physiological changes including a drop in body temperature and slowing of the heart and breathing. For example, a hedgehog’s body temperature will fall to between 1 and 10°C. It’s heart slows from 190 beats per minute to just 20 and it will draw breath only once every few minutes.

To wake a hibernating animal suddenly can be fatal. Precious energy reserves are used to kick-start the metabolism in response to the perceived danger. It is therefore best to leave wood and leaf piles undisturbed until spring. Avoid building bonfires before November 5th. You could well unwittingly cremate a hedgehog that has decided to make its winter home there.

Win-win solutions: combining the interests of people and wildlife

Successful wildlife gardens combine the interests of people with the needs of wildlife so let's look at some versatile shrubs that will keep us all happy.

Consider planting the native blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) with its delicate spring flowers that serve up nectar for many insects. Bodnant viburnum (Viburnum bodnantense) sports beautifully fragrant flowers which provide a rare source of winter nectar. Buddleia davidii is often called butterfly bush because butterflies simply can't resist its pretty, scented flowers. Lavender (Lavandula) has a glorious smell and provides nectar for bees, meadow brown and white butterflies, and seeds for goldfinches. The culinary herb rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) has a wonderful aroma and attracts hoverflies, bumblebees and honey bees.

Why not be really clever and plant firethorn (Pyracantha) or barberry (Berberis)? They display beautiful autumn colour, their thorns deter burglars and afford birds nesting protection from cats, their flowers yield nectar for insects, and their berries will be eaten by birds!

Fruits for a future - sowing native tree seeds

Why not have some fun growing native (British) trees and shrubs such as oak, ash and rowan? Native trees usually support far more wildlife than exotic and cultivated ones. For example, the native oak is home to 284 species of insect while the introduced holm oak only supports 2.

Many seeds and berries can be collected this month for sowing in pots or directly in the ground. Collect only as many seeds as you need (preferably from gardens and parks rather than wilder areas), leaving plenty for germination and to be eaten by wild animals such as mice and squirrels. Collect in a breathable bag such as paper, rather than plastic which results in condensation and mould.

The seeds and nuts mostly come all at once at this time of year so squirrels may be seen frantically burying them, storing the bounty while they can. They will return to unearth the food in less plentiful times next year.

A fruity feast for our feathered friends

Birds are enjoying the feast of apples, plums and other fruits which provide a welcome and nutritious change to their summer diet. Leave some fruit on trees and the ground for them as well as small mammals such as mice and voles, wasps and invertebrates. The unseasonably warm weather of recent weeks has kept the insect population high, also providing food for birds, and perhaps giving bats reason to delay hibernation.

Nectar sources are diminishing at this time of year so insects congregate on the few remaining concentrations of nectar such as michaelmas daisy and ice plant. The flowers of ivies also provide late nectar for insects including butterflies, bees and moths. Ivy is an excellent wildlife plant because it also offers hibernation sites for butterflies later in the year, as well as food for holly blue butterfly caterpillars and nesting sites for birds next year.