How a log pile in your garden can be a haven for wildlife

Make your garden more attractive to wildlife with a few log piles, he says Claire Wilsonand you may catch a glimpse of some stunning beetles

To Claire Wilson

One of my garden chores at the moment is pruning trees and shrubs when there are no disturbing leaves. Instead of throwing away the branches, I make a few small piles of logs to help make my lot a more attractive place for local wildlife.

Decaying dead wood becomes a food source or habitat for thousands of species, including mosses, lichens, fungi, beetles, flies, hoverflies, spiders, moths, wasps and bees. These are then fed to larger animals such as birds, lizards, frogs, toads, small mammals…