Log Piles and Wildlife Benefits:
Logpiles benefit a whole range of wildlife, providing food and shelter to fungi, insects, amphibians, and even butterflies and moths.
- Habitat. Logpiles provide shelter and a nesting place for beetles (such as stag and dark beetles), woodlice, and centipedes, who love burrowing into dead wood. Other creatures that benefit from homes in logpiles include shrews, toads, spiders, and even hedgehogs. Many of these creatures enjoy the moisture under the logs and have a readily available food source nearby too.
- Food source. The insects that log piles attract are great food sources for other predators, for example, birds such as woodpeckers and thrushes. The decaying wood itself is also a valuable food source for many wood-boring creatures such as longhorn beetles, woodlice, and woodwasps.
- Fungi. Logpiles lead to the growth of moss, lichen, and fungi, which are a food source for snails for example. They also grow mostly below the soil surface, helping to break down timber into a soft pulp, ready for other insects to eat. This influential role in decomposition also delivers nutrients into the soil for plants, some species even producing antibiotics to protect plants against pathogens.
- Butterflies and moths. Some species of butterflies and moths, especially those with caterpillars, rely upon decaying wood to lay their eggs on logs. When the larvae hatch, they feed on the decaying wood too.
Logpiles are a relatively small and easy addition to your garden, but as you can see, it attracts a diverse range of wildlife, increasing the biological diversity and balance of your garden.