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Reptiles and Amphibians in Winter: #WinterWildGardening

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Winter is traditionally a quieter time in the garden, but this is in fact the busiest time of year for habitat management for reptiles and amphibians. As the temperature drops, these animals become dormant, making it safer to clear out ponds and build shelters causing as little disturbance as possible.

For our winter campaign #WinterWildGardening, we have put together some tips and tricks on how you can make our species lives a little bit easier in your gardens and green spaces.

 

How to tackle icy ponds:  

If you have a garden pond, the colder weather can cause it to freeze. The best thing to do is to periodically sweep away any snow so that sunlight can reach your pond plants and produce oxygen. This will help to prevent ‘Winterkill’ which is caused by toxic gases released in the pond (through natural decomposition of dead leaves) and not being able to escape, causing the water to become deoxygenated.

Melting a hole in the ice won’t necessarily affect the amount of oxygen diffusing into the water, but there is no harm in playing it safe! You can gently melt any ice with a cup or pan full of hot water to allow more active animals like newts to move to the surface to breathe.

You can also try floating a small object, e.g., a tennis ball, in the water or keep your fountain going (if you have one) to prevent ice formation.

If you have frog spawn, the upper portions may freeze, but the spawn which is underwater should survive. However, if you have a very small pond and/or it is shallow and prone to freezing throughout, you can temporarily place your frog spawn into a bucket of pond water and place in a garage, or similar place, out of the freezing conditions. 

Remember that moving spawn to other ponds risks spreading disease, so once the cold weather has passed, ensure that you return the spawn to the same pond to allow it to continue to develop.

 

Creating overwintering sites:

Something as simple as a pile of leaves or areas of dense vegetation and scrub close to your garden pond will provide areas for amphibians to take refuge during periods of cold weather.

Log piles and rockeries are another simple idea to provide our species with somewhere to see out the winter months. As well as providing cover from adverse weather, dead wood attracts insects on which reptiles and amphibians will feed.

If you want to go further, you can build a hibernaculum. You can find instructions on how to do this here.  

If you don’t have space to create a hibernaculum, you could consider a toad home. These can be made simply by upturning a plant pot and knocking a hole in the side for a door. Place old leaves or grass inside your toad home for extra protection. You can find instructions on how to build one here.

hibernacula

 

What to do if you disturb a reptile or amphibian during winter:

Reptiles and amphibians lie dormant during the coldest months but will take advantage of milder patches of weather to come out and forage. For this reason, if you do disturb an animal in winter, it should be unharmed if covered up and left undisturbed.

If you are unable to put the animal back where you found it, place it somewhere that offers protection from frost and predators like cats and birds, for example, log piles, under a shed or within your compost heap. It should not be somewhere ‘warm’, just a place that is frost free.

If you spot any of our species out and about, please remember to record them on our free Dragon Finder App. Data from the Dragon Finder App is crucial going forward to monitor the relationship between temperature changes and the behaviours of reptiles and amphibians in the UK.

If you spot any sick or injured reptiles or amphibians, please report them to our partners on the Garden Wildlife Health project.  

 common frog

Further Resources:

For more information on how you can help reptiles and amphibians during winter, check out….

 

How can you help wildlife this winter?

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Written by Ellia Cobb, Transforming Lives Trainee.

As the weather is getting colder and the temperature starts to drop, reptiles and amphibians are getting ready for brumation. Brumation is similar to hibernation in that it is a state of deep sleep undergone throughout the colder months as they cannot survive winter conditions. Amphibians and reptiles will however come out to forage during warmer periods. 

There are different things you can do at this time of year to help brumating animals such as building your own hibernaculum or creating a log pile. Creating a hibernaculum is simple and if you have leftover garden waste from the summer, this is a great use for it!

You start by digging a hole, it doesn’t have to be too wide or deep, just enough to retain heat to keep reptiles and amphibians warm. Once you have done this, you can start filling the hole with logs, rocks and bricks. Once you have filled some of the hole, you can start piling the larger logs and sticks a little higher than ground level to then cover with softer things such as leaf litter and bramble (these help to trap the warmth). Finally, you can use the mud you dug up to then cover up the hibernaculum, remembering to leave some gaps so that the animals can get in and out. 

If you don’t like the idea of digging, log piles can be just as effective by stacking logs, branches, rocks and leaf litter. This also makes a great habitat for brumating reptiles and amphibians.

 

It is super important not to disturb compost heaps, log piles or even piles of leaves during the colder months.

More Ideas:

You can find even more resources and ideas for making your green space more wildlife-friendly here.

 

What our animals are doing this month

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Written by Nathan Gardner, Transforming Lives Trainee

The warm summer days have faded as we reach October, which means that our native amphibians and reptiles have one thing on their mind: starting brumation. This process differs to that of the mammalian hibernation in that rather than a sustained period without bodily functions such as eating, drinking, or defecating, amphibians and reptiles will occasionally leave their hides in order to drink – which is important in regulating their bodily fluid levels – and perhaps bask in the sun on warmer days.

Most amphibians and reptiles are referred to as ‘ectothermic’, meaning they cannot generate their own body heat. Instead, they rely on their surrounding environments to warm and cool themselves, regulating their blood flow. Winter, of course, poses quite the issue for these critters, and they must seek refuge to buffer themselves from the harsh cold. It is important for amphibians to locate a hide that is moist, such as compost heaps or abandoned mammal burrows, as they have permeable skin as a means of absorbing water and oxygen. Reptiles have a more robust respiratory system, and thus can survive in drier conditions such as deadwood or leaf litter.

Here are a few suggested steps you can take in your own garden to help amphibians and reptiles have a successful brumation:

  • Leave mounds of loose soil and piles of dead leaves or compost in the garden corners.
  • Avoid disturbing these areas and withhold as much garden maintenance as possible.
  • Leave small bowls of water beside these areas regularly; amphibians will need to soak, and reptiles will need to drink.
  • Try building your own hibernaculum; a specialized hide consisting of logs, stones, and soil.

It is crucial that any amphibians or reptiles you invite into your garden feel safe and provided for. Let your grass grow and do your best not to disturb any dark, moist patches or corners. Please click here for more information. 

The Importance of wildlife ponds in gardens

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Written by Ellia Cobb: Transforming Lives Trainee

There has been a 50% decline in pond habitats in the UK over the past century, with 80% of those remaining being classified as either in ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ condition. We can all do our bit to tackle this problem.

Wildlife ponds are amazing for wildlife, having a pond in your garden or greenspace is highly beneficial to all kinds of different species such as frogs, toads, newts and invertebrates. They provide a safe place for amphibians to feed, lay their spawn and raise their young as well as providing drinking and bathing water for other wildlife in the process. 

Ponds don’t have to be perfect! Creating a pond can be a simple and fun activity and will add to the two thirds of support that garden ponds provide freshwater species already. 

An effective way to create a pond suitable for amphibians and other species is to dig out and line your own, ensuring it is deep enough and sloped to allow wildlife to get in and out. It is important that the pond isn’t one depth and has shallow areas for amphibians to rest and deeper areas for hibernation. Ranges in depth are also great for planting a variety of vegetation. Planting different floating, marginal emergent and oxygenating plants will help your pond thrive and provide hiding places and egg-laying sites.

It is a good idea to use a durable pond liner so that your pond lasts many years. Be patient with your pond as it can take some time for wildlife to find them. They will not need much maintenance once finished.

You can find loads of advice in our Just Add Water booklet and on our Wildlife at Home web page on how to build ponds. Remember to send in your photos to info@froglife.org so we can share them on social media!

What our animals are doing this month…

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What are our animals up to in January?

It is a pretty quiet month for our reptiles and amphibians with the odd frisky frog exception that may start spawning early. That said, the ever-increasingly erratic temperatures that come with climate change may influence how active they are as they do not hibernate as such, but ‘brumate’. Brumation is a period of dormancy like hibernation, but our wonderful species will take trips out of their hideaways to bask in the sun or have a quick snack in warmer weather.

This is an ideal time to think about how you can help these charismatic animals in the coming months and plan some habitat features in your garden. That area at the back of your garden with the extra garden waste you couldn’t fit in your compost heap could be added to or transformed into a log pile or Hibernaculum. That area you think that looks a mess with the long grass could be a winter home for some critters that need to be left alone for a little longer. Doing things like this saves you gardening in the cold, and you can always say it was an intentional creation of habitat for our deserving amphibians and reptiles.

So, on a warm day you may have a rare wintery glimpse of a common lizard basking or common frog topping up on their energy reserves. Happy spotting!

Always remember to record your amphibian and reptile sightings on our FREE Dragon Finder app. All the data collected is sent to the National Biodiversity Network Atlas. You can download the app here.

Garden Ponds and Dogs

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Back in 2020, our Come Forth for Wildlife team were working in Falkirk creating Neighbourhood Wildlife Corridors which are small features for wildlife that connect gardens to country parks and nature reserves (these are key in keeping our amphibian and reptile populations safe).

One particular household asked our team if it was possible to have a wildlife pond built, but to have some kind of prevention to discourage their dog from taking a swim. Staff member Chris leapt into action and started thinking up some ideas. Eventually, Chris settled on a small fence surrounding the pond which wasn’t accessible for the family dog, but left enough space for wildlife to get through.

Before During  After

 

I think we can all agree that this pond was definitely a success. You don’t even need to use commercial fencing, you can use alternatives such as willow fencing or thick hedges to keep your canine friends out of your wildlife pond. 

Don’t have the space or money for fencing? There are even more ideas that you can use to protect your pond:

  • Build a raised or ‘tub pond’
  • Strong mesh (5cm squared or more) dug into the ground 
  • Netting (more 5cm squared or more) pulled tight and staked to prevent wildlife becoming tangled. 
  • You can even get fancy with some pond covers from your local garden centre 

For more information on building a wildlife pond, read our Just Add Water guide.

You can also find out more information on our #pawsagainstponds campaign here.

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