Working with and preserving wildlife beneficial to the allotment
Hibernaculum Hibernaculums have been built all around the allotment. They offer amphibians shelter through the winter so that they can emerge in spring to eat a lot of pests that are detrimental to the crops of the plot owner. Here we have utilised the space beneath the water butts The entrance to the hibernaculum is facing down to stop ingress of water. The amphibians inside need only to be dry and not frozen for them to survive winter, the terrestrial state of frogs and toads and newts have a velvety skin , because they only go in water to reproduce between the months of April to July. Entrances are covered with a waterproof cover and packed with old branches to secure, we do not use anything that naturally breaks down as this generates heat and will attract vermin and predators of amphibians. The branches and waterproofing are then sealed in by a piece of wood this is to stop cold wind blowing through and freezing the occupants, ideally we need two entrances facing in different directions but because these are in such a sheltered position one will do fine. These are all over the allotment, many trying to catch the low spring sun from the East. |