Have you ever come across a butterfly roosting in your shed or colder parts of the house? Whilst there's evidence of butterflies like painted ladies heading south as summer eases away, many butterfly and moth species spend the winter as eggs or caterpillars. There are a few, however, that brave the cold in their adult form; small tortoiseshells and peacocks are most common but red admirals are sometimes found whilst brimstones and commas hide away amongst vegetation (like that wall of ivy covering your garden fence). Insects like these herald moths can sometimes be found in large numbers, tucked up together until spring arrives. Butterflies in your house might become active when the heating is turned on - if you can, pop them into a cooler place like a shed or garage so they can settle down and not waste too much energy. The insect form of hibernation is diapause but it's essentially the same - the body shuts down to conserve energy until warmer temperatures (and food sources) return.

Queen bumblebees, wasps and hornets have a kind of anti-freeze in their systems and are the only members of the summertime colony to make it through winter. During autumn, the queens seek cavities in the soil of north-facing banks or nooks and crannies that offer protection from the weather and predators. The solitary bees that you'll see in spring have already emerged from their larval cocoons and are waiting in cavities in walls and fences or tunnels underground for the weather to warm. Mild and sunny weather, however, can trick bees and other insects into emerging too early. Whilst some hardy bumblebee colonies can survive milder winter temperatures, it's vital that we plant winter-flowering heathers, mahonias, early spring bulbs and more into our gardens and greenspaces to provide food for winter colonies or early risers.

Toads, frogs and newts spend most of their time away from ponds and at this time of year they'll have settled into a cosy brumation spot (brumation is the slowing down of an amphibian's system, similar to hibernation and diapause). Whilst some frogs may do this at the bottom of a pond, toads will likely be amongst roots of trees, under large stones or tussocks of grass. Once day length starts to lengthen and conditions are right, they wake from their slumbers and head off to a pond to breed. For frogs this can a large puddle but their more discerning toad relatives will seek the pond in which they were born, usually an older and deeper body of water. Look for them crossing roads from late February to reach their ancestral home.

These amazing wonders of our natural world, and many more besides, are taking place in our gardens, community greenspaces and wider landscape as you read this. So next time you're out for a walk and wondering where all the wildlife has gone, perhaps pause at the pile of logs, bundle of leaves, frosted seedheads, tangle of ivy and wonder what's snuggled up within it.