How to help reptiles and amphibians

Here are some tips for encouraging snakes, lizards, frogs, toads and newts in your garden.

A good mix of open and woody vegetation is the starting point. Then there are special features which can be purpose built to meet the special needs of these creatures.

We all know that a pile of wood or stones will make a home for wildlife. Their effect can be greatly enhanced, though, if they are mixed with soil. Make your bank of earth, stone and wood as high as you can, and ensure that some of the rocks and timber stick out from the surface. Amphibians and reptiles will push against these to work their way down into the deepest crevices, where they may eventually find enough insulation to hibernate. Try to make your bank face south or south west: that way it will capture the sun's warmth throughout the year, as well as giving the reptiles an ideal basking platform.

Common toad
Photograph by Jayne Herbert

Cutting your grassy areas into a mosaic of longer and shorter grass will please the reptiles, which alternately seek shelter and basking opportunities. The amphibians prefer long grass, especially near their ponds - where so many can easily fall victim to predators or simply to exposure when emerging onto an expanse of short lawn or pavement. Managing grassland for reptiles and amphibians is a tricky business: cutting in winter is the least dangerous; cutting on a warm summer day at least means the creatures will be alert enough to attempt an escape from the mower; cutting in spring or late summer can be disastrous for reptiles, which will be too cool to move quickly. Setting your mower blades high is a useful general tip. However, if you want to keep an area of lawn short, mow it very short and very often - that way the creatures won't be tempted to go into it and face the mower.

Finally, remember that a good old-fashioned compost heap is a haven for wildlife. Place it in a sunny spot, with plenty of adjacent habitat. Put down a base of logs or branches first, then add your grass clippings and other vegetation. All of the creatures mentioned here will enjoy its warmth and shelter but the ultimate reward will be to find grass snakes using it to incubate their eggs. Timing will then become crucial: avoid adding extra vegetation between June and September, as you may disturb the eggs; if you want to use the compost, only dig it out in early October or from mid-April to mid-May (otherwise you may damage eggs or wake hibernating reptiles). Add fresh vegetation each year to keep the compost heap rotting away merrily.

Strangely enough, the more hiding places you provide, the more reptiles and amphibians you will see. Keep an eye out for them this spring - and don't forget to send in your records.

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