RECENT weathers have not exactly overheated us; indeed I’ve heard a few share a thought; “… it’s like winter.”

So if our minds are weather prompted towards this season, perhaps we may also think, how do our garden friends deal with the effects of the cooler and lessened food supply of winter ?

Of course we all know, many hibernate and so settle down for the long sleep this implies.

But where might such a sleep best be undertaken – of course, in a hibernaculum.

A what… did you say.

Hibernaculum is a word of Latin origin and can be understood simply as a ‘tent for winter shelter’.

Having said this there are many forms of hibernacula and as a by the way, the ‘a’ is simply the plural of the ‘um’ ?. Indeed it may be that some of us may have had a thought towards the hibernation of one fine friend, the hedgehog.

But a hibernaculum is equally evident in the plants of our gardens.

Think of the protective case or covering of a plant bud, dormant yet safe until the warmth of spring. However, our thoughts here are to look a little more closely at hibernacula for the animal life of our gardens.

Who needs our help ?

But what animals would best benefit from our intervention in providing Hibernacula.

The first of a few prime examples and as noted above; may be in the prickly but wondrous colleague to our garden efforts, the hedgehog.

Then again there’s our flying mammals to consider, the 3,000 a night midgie munching bats.

Then back down to ground indeed water level, we may wish to undertake a dwelling for our amphibian pest removers; whether they be toads, frogs or newts.

Finally and an oft forgotten provision may be for the smallest yet perhaps most vital; our insects.

Here we ought to cast a thought to bees (Bumble and Solitary) and for our delightful ladybirds and bonnie butterflies.

Falling populations.

But many may be reading this and wondering: “Why highlight such wildlife, surely they’ll be fine.”

Sadly this is not the case; numbers are in decline and with this, the diversity in species that follow as populations become ever more vulnerable.

There are as always one or two exceptions to this, but the norm is dwindling numbers and variety.

Hence it’s important that we play our part and assist in the little efforts needed to help.

What can we do

So please consider through the remainder of our glorious summer and into autumn, adding some hibernacula to your garden.

I’m hopeful many of us have reserved a little wilder area in the less well kempt space in the corner or end of our gardens.

This is the place to look to install some bug hotels; sand and tarp amphibian travel inns or perhaps a bat roost Ritz or maybe a happy bat bothy.

For further details on how you can help see these links:

http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/leaflets/L5-Hedgehog-Homes.pdf

www.bats.org.uk/publications...php/.../Bat_Box_Information_Pack.pdf

www.arc-trust.org/.../amphibian-habitat-management-handbook-full.pdf

www.bbcwildlife.org.uk/sites/birmingham.live.wt.../Insect%20Hotel.pdf