brush stack made from twigs and small branches left after felling trees for firewood. Uprights made from coppiced poles, used to keep stack in neat hi
1 year old brush stack made from hedge prunings, twigs and small branches left after felling trees for firewood. Uprights, made from coppiced poles are used to keep stack in neat high pile rather than spilling out sideways. A stack like this will provide home for mice and insects, but, if tightly stacked, hedgehogs are more likely to go for loose piles of leaves under hedges. Blackbirds & robins will dig at base to find worms and insects, and a wren might go through edges to look for insects. Because they are tightly layered I've never yet found a hedgehog or bird nest, but occasionally an empty mouse nest. It can be left in situ and added to on subsequent years, but after a couple of years the lower layers will have rotted enough to be used as mulch in garden around fruit bushes & shrubs. To harvest the lower layers care has to be taken when dismantling in case of nests etc. Top layer put to one side, rotted layers then taken away in barrow, The top layer can then be replaced as lowest layer in new stack.
Size: 4032px × 6048px
Location: Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales, UK
Photo credit: © Jean Williamson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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