When do things hibernate?

[slowworm]

I've been wondering recently when things start to hibernate and has anyone noticed this getting later at all?

We've had a good year for lizards, slow worms and grass snakes and they were still out and about a week or two ago. Last night I counted 8 toads in the garden and again wondered if it's getting a bit late in the year to see them. Bats as well are still flying.

Anyone know of a guide to hibernation times of UK animals?

 

[Toddy]

I always thought that here they only really did it when it was dark enough that any daylight foraging was limited, and cold enough that there was little to be found anyway.
Many things seem to get drowsy and really slow down any exertion rather than truly hibernate. A torpor I think it's called rather than hibernation.
Might be easier to break it down into different classifications.
Mammals,
Reptiles,
Invertebrates,
Insects.

I think only the bats, the hedgehog and the dormouse really hibernate among the mammals. Squirrels, well up here and further north they do, sort of snooze/torpor when it's really cold and there's no food available.

Reptiles....like the ones you mentioned.... snakes, lizards and slow worms do.....but again, I think that's temperature because there are adders out and sunning on the rocks really early in the year if it's warm enough.

Frogs, toads and newts don't always. They can, but they need to find somewhere frost free, but they'll even manage at the bottom of a pond. There are newts in my garden pond all year long, but come Winter I don't move planters without checking underneath them carefully because newts like to coorie down there.

Among the insects, I only really know of the ladybirds, bees, wasps and the butterflies and moths, and there's a cluster fly that someone put up images of a few years ago.

I went looking for details about the torpor I mentioned. Found a rather nice site

Hibernation or Torpor? | Cumbria Wildlife Trust

The difference between hibernation and torpor.

www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk

 

[Wander]

Slow worms and adders are still active down here in the south east - saw both today.

 

[Broch]

When there's not enough food around to carry on putting on weight
Hedgehogs are still about, and badgers (but they don't really hibernate), still wasps, hornets, occasional butterflies - we even had a slow worm in a local church yard on Sunday.