Every month, we focus on a particular Giving Nature a Home activity fit for the season, and my thoughts for October turned to snoozing. After all, there is a whole host of creatures that need to find a safe bed for the winter, and that includes our much loved amphibians: Frog, Toad and the three species of newt.
Most of you will have one or more of these living in your garden, so this is a great time to think about whether you have enough suitable spots for them to snuggle down for the next few months.
They can't stay in the open, so they need somewhere hidden from the light and the wind where they won't get too warm or cold or be at risk of predators. For Frogs, that usually means in the mud at the bottom of ponds, but for Toads and newts they like to crawl under log piles and leaf piles and mounds of rocks.
All the better, however, if they can get a little way underground. In the countryside they might be able to find an old animal burrow but, in your garden, where will they go? Where have you got that fits the bill and won't get disturbed?
Here's your chance, then, to build them the perfect winter retreat. You'll only need an hour or so to do this, and it is a great activity for kids to take part in too, so we're hoping that many of you will give it a go.
In a nutshell, you just dig a shallow hole in a sheltered, out-of-the-way, shady area of the garden, fill it with some logs and rocks, put your diggings back over the top, eh voila! You've created a network of underground cavities in which several amphibians might find a perfect hideaway.
Our mini video shows how simple it can be. But can you come up with something even more creative? More artistic? We'd love to hear. And we hope your hopping friends have sweet dreams.
If you want to drop by my RSPB wildlife gardening blog, it is updated every Friday, and I'd love to see you there - www.rspb.org.uk/community/blogs/hfw