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May Element - Log Piles

Bark Boring Beetles Galleries

Element number five of the twelve elements to make your garden a wildlife wonderland will, over many years, shrink and vanish - rotting and dead wood. It provides hiding, feeding and nesting places for many animals while fungi slowly break down the wood.

With May underway, it’s the perfect moment to add the next vital habitat to your wildlife garden: rotting wood in the form of stumperies, log piles, dead hedges, or even simple twig piles. 

Why Rotting Wood Matters?

Rotting wood creates cool, damp crevices where beetles, amphibians, hedgehogs, and countless invertebrates can hide and nest. It also serves as a vital food source by supporting fungi and other invertebrates—such as stag beetles and their larvae—that, in turn, feed birds and small mammals. Additionally, rotting wood fuels essential mycelial networks that break down wood into rich humus, enhancing soil structure and nutrient cycling.

Creative Ways to Build Your Wood Habitat

  • Stumpery: Stand old stumps upright in an artistic cluster—plant ferns, mosses, or shade‑loving wildflowers in the crevices. 
  • Classic Log Pile: Lay larger logs at the base, then layer smaller branches and twigs on top, leaving gaps for wildlife corridors. 
  • Dead Hedge: Weave cut branches between upright stakes to make a living wildlife barrier that also supports nesting birds. 
  • Twig Bundle: Bind together smaller sticks or brushwood into neat bundles—perfect for lining pond edges or filling shady corners. 
Image of a Lesser Stag Beetle

Lesser Stag beetle

By adding just one rotting‑wood feature this May, you’ll boost your garden’s biodiversity, soil health, and wildlife value, all with materials you might otherwise discard. Nature (and your local stag beetles) will thank you :)

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