Ivy offers real-estate for birds and bats and a free canteen for pollinators

Research has shown that Ivy protects walls from heat, cold, salt, frost, and pollution — so is often more helpful than harmful to heritage structures

A pair of baby Robins in their nest in a thicket of ivy

At this time of year there is not a lot of shelter for songbirds, who need to keep themselves out of the cold, the rain, and the frost if they are to survive the winter. Most native trees and shrubs have lost their leaves by now, leaving birds with scant protection for from the elements. One generous native evergreen that provides safe haven for songbirds right throughout the year is Ivy. Its shiny green leaves are like little tarpaulins for our feathered friends.

Ivy clambers up through tree trunks and around telephone poles, covers old walls and embankments, and weaves its way through hedges and woodlands too. This is a plant that has evolved especially for climbing. Its woody stems sprout small fibrous roots all along their length which send out tiny root hairs that can grip onto vertical surfaces. The root hairs also secrete minuscule gluey particles, suspended in a liquid polymer matrix that is a strong organic adhesive. When the particles in this adhesive combine with calcium ions, the concoction solidifies even further. This is how ivy makes its way so confidently up walls and trees, where its tangle of leafy growth is a shelter for bats, birds, and hibernating insects too.