Days and nights are becoming colder and colder as winter is approaching us, automatically our self-preservation kicks in and we get out our winter coats, scarfs, and any necessities to help keep us all warm. Have we ever considered the situations wildlife go through?
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How do they cope with these cold circumstances? How can we help the wildlife this winter? What foods do wildlife eat? Awareness has been brought in by gardening experts highlighting how to form your garden into a wildlife help zone.
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You can do your part by double checking any drains, holes, and pits to make sure they’re covered firmly, as this can be unsafe for wildlife if they stumble across it.
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The four most important factors wildlife need and desire are; shelter, warmth, food, and drink. Attract wildlife by making your garden animal-friendly, garden specialists Oeco Garden Rooms have created a handy, simple guide to follow that helps prepare and invite wildlife into your garden.
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Wildlife and Their Food Diet
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-      Birds – They seek warmth in trees, nests or birdhouses. Birds tend to migrate rather than hibernate. Their diet is sunflower seeds, fruit, cracked corn, mealworms, milo, and millet. They can’t eat apple seeds, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, avocados, beef and peanuts, and cheese. They can’t drink milk, caffeine or any alcohol.
-      Frogs and toads – Frogs interestingly allow their bodies to freeze over the winter months. They dig down to the bottom of the pond underneath the bottom surface and create their own rooftop over themselves. Or they can be found underneath logs, leaf litters or underground tunnels. Frogs tend to eat flies and moths, slugs, snails and worms. They can’t eat vegetables or fruits and not any pet food.
-      Bats– They hibernate between November all the way through to March, usually. Hedgehogs require enough fat in order to survive the hibernation period. They can be fed almost anything except bread and milk. Their most preferred diet is cat food with chopped peanuts or peanut butter.
-      Hedgehogs – They hibernate between November all the way through to March, usually. Hedgehogs require enough fat in order to survive the hibernation period. They can be fed almost anything except bread and milk. Their most preferred diet is cat food with chopped peanuts or peanut butter.
-      Squirrels – Don’t hibernate over winter, they remain less active when bad weather conditions occur. They often eat hazelnut and beechnut, seeds like spruce and pine. Fungus, acorns, insects, even soil and tree bark when food becomes scarce.
Offering Shelter, Food, and Water
Providing shelter can easily be achieved within your garden. Allow a corner of grass to overgrow, it naturally gives off areas to nest in for small insects and hedgehogs. Place a few logs in corners to offer an enclosed hot spot, from this some wildlife can get underneath and gain what they need to hibernate.
Hedges can offer a safe area for birds to best or for other small animals to gather in for comfort. They can fight off the pouring down rain, large spaces which are perfect for hibernating in the winter time. Planting wildflowers is also a great idea as butterflies and bees are drawn to them.
Include in a birdhouse, birds love a roof over their heads, place in a bird feeder which will definitely attract them over. If you’ve got enough space, plant a tree, this will attract birds and insects to nest over time and will become their own place they’ll call home.
Again, if you’ve got the space incorporating in a pond would be ticking all the boxes as hedgehogs can take a drink and stay hydrated. Make sure to build a low edge on the side of the pond as hedgehogs tend to struggle to get back out. If you do not have a pond, put out a bowl of water that wildlife can drink from.
Birds can quickly get around from one garden to the next. Supply food on a table and water to help out on the invitation. You’ll be helping them by contributing to their everyday go-to necessities which are harder to find during the winter months.
Contributed courtesy of Howard.
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