Making a pile of wood in the wild garden, could be a good idea. As well as dry stone walls and piles of stone, the spaces that are shaped are an excellent shelter for many animal species, mainly for smaller ones such as insects, spiders, amphibians, reptiles, etc.
In addition, the decaying wood represents a real treasure of biodiversity. For this reason, when a tree falls or dies, it would always be useful to leave it in its place (obviously if it does not represent a safety problem!) as it can offer shelter and food to several animal species.
Basti pensare ai coleotteri xilofagi (gli insetti che si nutrono del legno) come il cerambice della quercia (Cerambyx cerdo) il cui ciclo vitale è strettamente connesso alla presenza del legno marcescente: le uova sono deposte sotto la corteccia di vecchi alberi, da queste si originano delle larve che si nutrono delle fibre del legno. La larva impegna tre anni per completare il suo sviluppo, durante i quali scava grosse gallerie del diametro di alcuni centimetri, al termine del quale scava una grossa cella dove si trasforma in ninfa che, dopo quasi un anno, sfarfallerà e diventerà un adulto che continuerà a frequentare gli alberi nei quali si è sviluppato, non allontanandosi molto da essi.
Other species too, even if their vital cycle is not so closely connected to the presence of dead wood, find shelter in the old trees fallen on the ground, and in the piles of wood. Reptiles will use it as a site for thermoregulation (you’ll find out more in the next pages) but also to go into hibernation during the winter. Amphibians hosted in your pond will find shelter there, both in the hottest days (as a site of aestivation) that in the coldest ones (as a site of hibernation). The same goes for hedgehogs and many other small mammals!
