Watering the wildlife

I looked at the weather forecast today and felt slightly deflated. We've had no significant rainfall here on the Chiltern Hills for a month or more and the fortnight ahead shows no sign of showers. What we have instead is many more sunny and very warm days ahead. I have no problem with that as I love the sunshine. But it's tough for the wildlife especially when chalk streams and dew ponds dry up. Up on the hills, these may be the only significant sources of water. This dew pond near me, photographed two years ago is now bone dry (second photo taken last Autumn but that's how it looks at the moment).

I always keep my birdbath topped up in my garden. I also put a bowl of water on a table for the small birds and the insects. And I leave a bowl down at ground level too for the garden mice and voles and for the hedgehogs that occasionally visit me.

Things are particularly tough for the amphibians at the moment because they need to stay moist. Just recently I've found a few frogs and toads dangerously out in the open, presumably on a desperate hunt for somewhere to hide from the sun. I've generally found them near the sites of dried up dew ponds. I usually have a refillable bottle of tap water with me (for the dog) so I've relocated the animals to somewhere shady nearby and given them and the area a good soak. It's a temporary fix but it might give them a brief respite.

Hosepipe bans are now starting to appear across the UK, which is a pain especially if you love your garden (my lawns look like straw and haven't needed mowing since mid-June). But we will survive, the rains will return and we'll soon be cursing them again.  

In the meantime,  let's all do what we can to ensure our wildlife survives to see the rains too.

A few small acts of kindness make all the difference.