Shelter

14 Oct

What?
Wildlife needs safe, undisturbed places to rest, feed, nest and hide. Sheltered spots — whether a hedge, a pile of logs, or an ivy-covered wall — provide refuge from weather, predators and disturbance. Dead and decaying wood, too, is full of life, offering food and shelter for countless species. Together, these quiet corners and structures are some of the richest habitats you can create.

Where?
Everywhere: gardens, churchyards, school grounds, farm margins and business sites. On the Isle of Wight, the mix of woodland edges, old orchards, coastal slopes and rural hedgerows gives endless opportunities for natural or created shelter. Even a single log pile or hedge gap can connect your space to the wider island network.

How?

Keep what you can. Retain standing dead trees, stumps and fallen branches wherever they are safe to leave.
Build log and branch piles. Stack different sizes of wood loosely to allow airflow and space for insects, amphibians and small mammals.
Add variety. Mix dry, sunny piles for reptiles with shaded, damp areas for frogs, toads and fungi.
Leave wild corners. Long grass, bramble patches and dense shrubs are vital nesting and shelter sites.
Use cut branches and prunings to create “dead hedges” along boundaries — they provide instant structure, cover and food.
Drill holes in logs or posts for solitary bees and wasps.
Install wildlife boxes. Add bird, bat or insect boxes to fences, trees or walls.
Let ivy and climbing plants grow where safe — they offer cover, flowers and fruit for many species.
Avoid burning or removing old wood. Rotting timber supports fungi and beetles that recycle nutrients and feed the food web.

When?
Shelter and deadwood can be added year-round, but carry out pruning or tree work in autumn or winter to avoid disturbing nesting birds and bats. Once built, leave structures in place and let nature take over — they improve with age.

Why?
Shelter and deadwood habitats support hundreds of species, from beetles and bats to birds and fungi. They recycle nutrients, store carbon and provide natural pest control. Across the Isle of Wight, where hedgerows and old trees form the backbone of our living landscape, leaving wood and wild corners helps reconnect built spaces with nature.

Actions for Isle of Wight Species

Stag beetles, a flagship Island species, need buried and decaying wood for their larvae.
Hedgehogs use piles of logs, leaves and brash for nesting and hibernation.
Bats such as brown long-eared and noctule species roost in tree cavities and loose bark.
Robins, wrens and dunnocks forage for insects among logs and shrubs.
Fungi and mosses thrive on shaded, moist wood, supporting invertebrates that feed amphibians and birds.
Slow worms and common lizards use sun-warmed log piles for basking and egg-laying.