Summers in Wiltshire are beautiful. However as climate change makes heatwaves and prolonged dry spells more intense and more frequent, our wildlife faces a massive challenge. When temperatures soar, finding food, water, and shelter becomes a matter of survival putting pressure on all flora and fauna across the country.

You can help – whether you have five minutes to spare in your back garden or want to play a bigger role in protecting our county’s beautiful chalk streams or help us on our reserves, here is how you can help Wiltshire’s wildlife beat the heat this summer.

Give the wildlife in your garden some water

The simplest and quickest  thing you can do for wildlife is provide fresh water. Leave low-sided dishes of water on the ground for hedgehogs, badgers, and foxes. Drop a few pebbles, stones, or small twigs into the dish. This gives thirsty bees, butterflies, and beetles a safe place to land without risking drowning. 

Birds need water to drink and bathe to keep their feathers clean and insulating. Remember to scrub and refresh bird baths daily to prevent the spread of diseases like trichomoniasis.

Keep the garden wild 

A pristine, short-mown lawn offers zero protection from a scorching sun. By letting a corner of your garden grow a bit wild and messy, you create a lovely cool microclimate.

Long grass, log piles, and wildflowers stay significantly cooler and retain more moisture than open ground. These spots become life-saving spots for tonnes of wildlife such as insects, frogs, toads, and newts looking to escape the heat.

Keep out of waterways

Wiltshire is incredibly lucky to host some of the world's rarest habitats – our chalk streams. Rivers like the Wylye and the Kennet are global ecological gems, but they are incredibly fragile – especially during summer dry spells when water levels drop.

When the weather gets hot, it is incredibly tempting to cool off in the river or lake or let your dog splash around. However, this causes serious hidden damage. 

Wading kicks up silt, which smothers fish eggs and suffocates the invertebrates like mayfly nymphs that form the foundation of the river's food chain. Flea treatments, suncreams, and insect repellents washed off human skin and dog fur are highly toxic to aquatic life. Disturbed water levels and bank erosion destroy nesting sites for water voles and kingfishers.

Please keep to designated walking paths, enjoy the views from the banks.

Volunteer with us

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust looks after over 40 nature reserves across the county, and keeping these habitats resilient against extreme weather takes a lot of teamwork.

From managing wetland habitats to maintaining shaded woodland structures, our volunteering teams are out year-round making sure our reserves and habitats are in good condition for nature. Whether you can give a few hours a month or a day a week, we would love to have you on board.

Planning ahead

You don't have to wait for the next red or amber weather warning to prepare. Carry out these simple steps today:

Install a water butt - Tap water can be chemically heavy for delicate ecosystems. Installing a water butt allows you to harvest rainwater whenever it does rain, giving you a safe supply to top up garden ponds and bird baths during a drought. 

If your water butt runs dry and you must top up a garden pond with tap water, let it stand in a bucket for 24 hours first. This allows the chlorine to dissipate safely before it touches your pond life.

Make your garden more wild – next time you mow the lawn, leave a patch in the corner to grow longer to provide shelter for wildlife. Consider also creating a log or stone pile to give wildlife vital nooks of shade.

Let’s protect Wiltshire together

Every small action adds up. By making a few tweaks to our gardens and treating our beautiful rivers with extra care, we can make sure our wonderful wildlife thrives, in all weathers.