Written by Paul Arestides, Transforming Lives Trainee
At this time of year, especially January and February, our weather can turn cold with ice, frost and snow. It’s a good idea to keep an eye on our garden wildlife ponds and implement these handy tips below when needed.
Amphibians like frogs, toads and newts tend to brumate on land during the colder weather, so its always a good idea to have spaces of the garden left untouched. Compost heaps, log piles or rocky places are good for them to settle down and help protect them from frost.
If you have a pond, or plan to build one, make it deep enough so it will not freeze completely (at least 60cm for amphibians) frogs may overwinter in the deeper areas, so this will give them the best chance to survive. Invertebrates like beetles, water boatmen and dragonfly larvae will dive to the bottom of the pond and stay dormant in deeper water.
Contrary to popular belief, melting a hole in the ice will not help the amount of oxygen diffusing into the water- although it can help amphibians like newts that need a hole to come up to the surface to breathe. Oxygen can be produced simply by having oxygenating plants growing in the pond. If there is heavy snow, remove this from the surface ice with a brush to allow sunlight into the water- allowing the plants to continue photosynthesising and creating oxygen.
Do not break the ice as this can send out shock waves that can kill overwintering creatures. Tipping warm/boiling water into your pond isn’t a good idea either as this can trigger animals to come out of their brumation state earlier than planned.
For further tips, take a look at our Winter Wild Gardening Campaign page.