Creatures great and small

It won’t be long until fledged and furry things begin to prepare for winter and Kya deLongchamps says your garden could be the perfect nature reserve.

As winter closes in, you have every chance to set up your garden as a miniature nature reserve, inviting in and even indirectly feeding a variety of Irish creatures without disturbing their essential wild habits.

A few small changes can make a huge difference during the colder weather to the population of birds and mammals that rely on rural and suburban gardens to survive.