Make a wood pile

Create your own mini nature reserve with a pile of dead wood

Make a wood pile

It couldn’t be simpler. Gather some old wood – branches, logs, anything natural – and pile it up in a quiet corner of your garden. Before you know it, it'll be full of life.

How and where to make a woodpile

• Leave a pile of logs and dead branches in one corner and don’t tidy it up!
• If you can, put them under some trees or shrubs where it’s shady.
• For the best visitor turn-out let the wood rot.

Who might visit and why?

• Frogs and newts need somewhere to spend the winter and a wood pile is just the place.
• Toads might hibernate here as it’s safe and damp.
• Centipedes, ground and rove beetles are great visitors to a wood pile as they work for their keep eating slugs and slug-eggs. Leave logs and rocks undisturbed.
• Fungi is great for wildlife, so leave lots of different varieties of wood on your pile for it to take hold. They help to recycle rotting wood by breaking it down and they make good food for slugs and snails which in turn attract hedgehogs and garden birds.
• One of the most exciting finds you can make in your garden is the stag beetle as it’s a species under threat worldwide. It loves dead wood – it’s where the larvae stay for several years before reaching maturity. So a good, messy wood pile that’s completely undisturbed for several years is vital – doesn’t sound too difficult to manage!