30/11/2025
Your winter garden isn’t dead — it’s hosting one of the most important survival seasons of the year.
Care for it gently now, and it will repay you beautifully in spring.
🌱 Beneath the Soil
• Beetles, moths, butterflies, and native bees overwinter in the top few inches of soil.
• Roots conserve energy and begin slow underground growth.
• Earthworms move deeper but stay active in warm pockets.
🍂 Under the Leaves
• Ladybugs, fireflies, lacewings, and spiders shelter inside leaf layers.
• Leaf mold becomes a winter blanket that keeps soil life alive.
• Many moth and butterfly cocoons cling to the underside of leaves.
🌾 Inside Hollow Stems
• Overwintering solitary bees sleep inside dried stems of coneflower, goldenrod, and asters.
• Beetles and beneficial insects hide in the pithy tubes for protection.
• Cutting these stems removes entire generations of pollinators.
🪵 In Logs & Brush Piles
• Wrens, rabbits, chipmunks, and small mammals shelter from wind.
• Predatory insects control pests by overwintering in wood crevices.
• Fungi continue recycling nutrients even in freezing temperatures.
🌿 In Evergreens
• Birds hide inside dense foliage for warmth and safety.
• Juniper, holly, and pine offer berries, shelter, and windblock.
• Evergreens are living hotels in winter storms.
❄️ Under the Snow
• Snow acts as insulation, keeping the soil warmer than the air.
• Voles, mice, and insects move through tiny snow tunnels.
• Many plant crowns survive because snow protects them from wind burn.
