Katty Baird, BBOWT volunteer, finds out how our wildlife survives the harsh winter months.

Surviving the winter chill Winter is upon us once more, and as you reach for your central heating button or snuggle under a thick duvet, spare a thought for our resident wildlife, out there facing the elements. Although there is still plenty of active wildlife to spot, many animals opt for hibernation as a way to see them though the winter months.

BBOWT works hard on its nature reserves to provide suitable shelter to protect these winter sleepers from the worst of the weather. By providing suitable, undisturbed habitats in your garden, you can also lend a helping hand.

Natural Anti-freeze Insect life-cycles are often timed so only hardy pupa or eggs are present during the coldest months. As the days shorten, adults and larvae seek out sheltered sites and enter a state of diapause (like hibernation), during which the heart beat and metabolic rate slow down. Some species can even produce a natural anti-freeze, allowing them to endure sub zero temperatures without being harmed.

You can help over-wintering insects like butterflies and lacewings in the garden by supplying plenty of nooks and crannies for shelter, such as piles of logs.

Or make your own special bug home by simply slotting pieces of bamboo cane into an old baked beans tin, making sure the hollow ends are exposed for insects to crawl into.

Living on the bottom Frogs, toads, newts, snakes and lizards are cold-blooded and cannot maintain their temperature above that of their surroundings. So they spend the winter hibernating in frost-free sites such as under log piles, leaves, rock crevices and, occasionally, for frogs, in the mud on the bottom of a pond. Try to include habitats like these in your garden and avoid disturbing areas such as rockeries and ponds until spring.

Sleepy heads Of our mammals only the bats, dormouse (pictured) and hedgehog hibernate during winter.

They get ready for their winter sleep by eating extra food and storing it as body fat which they use as energy while sleeping. During hibernation, they slow their metabolism right down — a bat’s heart beat can drop from its normal 400 beats per minute to around 20 beats per minute, saving masses of energy. BBOWT’s Foxholes Nature Reserve near Burford is one of the best woodlands in the country for bats, which are encouraged with bat boxes. Why not make your own bat box? Email wildinfo@bbowt.org.uk to find out more or visit www.bbowt.org.uk for details of all BBOWT reserves.

How can you help? Always check for hibernating wildlife before clearing old vegetation. By creating a small undisturbed wilderness of leaf piles, rotting wood and overturned flowerpots you could provide shelter for animals and places to find and store food.