Hobby Gardeners: Please Be Considerate of Wildlife

Outside, spring weather «light» is in the air: carpets of purple-and-white crocuses in parks and meadows delight the eye, while fragrant daffodils in garden centers wait to be planted in the ground.

However, while we humans enjoy the early spring and “storm” nature, hedgehogs, dormice, common toads, and wild bees are still in hibernation or in the process of waking up.

This kind of weather makes hobby gardeners eager to get started: shovels, rakes, spades, and garden shears are brought out and readied for action. Gardens, terraces, and balconies receive their first makeover of the year. There’s a flurry of activity — but for the wildlife still slumbering or in the process of waking up, stress is the last thing they need right now!

Hibernation in wildlife is not only regulated by outside temperature, but also depends on the length of daylight. So animals usually know that, despite spring-like temperatures, it is still too early to end their hibernation.

The longer the days remain light, the more waking hormones form in the bodies of wild animals. «But this process never happens abruptly — it always takes place gradually. Wildlife needs a waking phase during which all bodily and organ functions are slowly brought back up to speed. This costs them strength and energy,,« explains Moritz Franz-Gerstein of the Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung. The hibernating animals that have not eaten throughout the winter months are also ravenously hungry after waking up. Their energy reserves are depleted and they need just one thing: food!

Hobby gardeners should therefore be considerate of wildlife during their first tidying efforts in the garden or on the balcony. Before you sweep leaves and brushwood together with a rake and toss them in the bin, it's worth checking whether a hedgehog might be curled up under the pile. When you loosen garden soil with a hoe or clean out the gaps between paving stones, keep in mind that solitary bees may have their nests in the ground there. Other wild bees use pithy plant stems for overwintering — whatever you do, don't shred them now! Cold-blooded common toads and frogs also still have stiff limbs and would rather not be disturbed by a broom. On balconies, in wall crevices, or in shed corners, ladybirds and butterfly species wait until the sun has warmed them sufficiently. And songbirds are now building their nests in hedges and shrubs at the start of the mating season — so be especially careful when trimming branches with hedge shears.