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Gardeners are being urged not to chop down their rotten trees in
an effort to help wildlife survive the winter.
Published: 7:00AM BST 27 Aug 2010
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) point out
that dead or decaying wood sustains a wide variety of wildlife,
from bugs to badgers.
The charity recommends burying upright logs in the garden and
allowing rare moss, lichen and fungi to grow out of control.
The “stumperies”, where tree stumps form the basis of a garden,
were popular with the Victorians and Prince Charles has one in
his garden at Highgrove.
Gardeners can also pile up old wood for animals like hedgehogs
to forage in and leave branches lying around for insect to
colonies to build up.
Birds nest in the small cavities of old trees and dead branches
make excellent song and display perches.
The charity is calling on people with big gardens to leave trees
lost over last winter and even tree stumps from tidying up this
summer.
People with small gardens or those with a balcony or terrace can
lay logs among planters, or even place or part bury them upright
as a feature in a tub.
John Day, RSPB Urban Advisor, said tree stumps are a haven for
animals.
“Stacking, laying or ‘planting’ it provides shelter for all
kinds of invertebrates"
“If you have a log fire or wood burner, donate a few logs for
wildlife; I do it every year and it’s a really easy way of
attracting even more species to your outside space,” he said.
Red Squirrels :
The Red Squirrel Protection Partnership has
produced the following snippets of squirrel information (rspp.org.uk):
-
The red squirrel is protected in most of
- Apparently they breed like rabbits (or should the saying be like squirrels?) and often have two broods a year
-
The red squirrel population has decreased in the
-
The average size of a red squirrel is 19-23 cm, head to body
with an average tail length of 15-20 cm
-
Red Squirrels weigh between 250 and 240g
-
It is thought that the long tail helps the squirrel to keep its
balance and steer when it is jumping from tree to tree, it may
also keep the animal warm whilst it sleeps
-
Red squirrels shed their coats twice a year switching between a
thinner coat in summer and a darker, thicker winter coat
- Mating occurs in February and March and in summer between June and July
-
Average size litters are 3-4 but can be as large as 6
-
Gestation periods for squirrels is about 38-39 days
-
Squirrels have multiple partners and mate many times during
their lives
-
The lifespan of a red squirrel is on average 3 years although in
captivity they have been known to live for 10 years
-
The nest of a squirrel is known as a drey
-
Despite the solitary nature of the red squirrels, outside of the
breeding seasons they sometimes will share dreys in order to
keep warm
-
The dominant animals in the squirrel communities are normally
the largest, dominance is not related to sex
-
Red squirrels eat seeds of trees, fungi, bird’s eggs, berries
and young shoots
-
60-80% of the active period may be spent foraging and feeding
Excess food is put into caches or buried
in holes or nooks in the trees and eaten when food is scarce.
Mangy-looking squirrels
Has anyone spotted any rather mangy-looking squirrels? If so, it seems as if it is nothing to worry about. According to a spokesperson from Northern Red Squirrels (Northern Red Squirrels.co.uk), this is a skin condition common in red squirrels and from which they recover with no ill effects. Their fur soon re-grows.
Additional information can be found at www.ulghamredsquirrels.org.uk Ulgham Red Squirrels
Wildlife
The area enjoys a variety of wildlife which can be seen at all times of the day and night
This includes bats, red squirrel, badger, fox, etc
