Building for Adders at Bucklebury Common

Bucklebury Common is home to a small but very important population of Adders, an increasingly rare reptile.

Adders hibernate during the winter in structures called hibernacula. These are often natural, formed of narrow cracks associated with roots of old trees, or rodent burrows. The Bucklebury Estate is keen to increase the population of Adders, so has been building artificial hibernacula made of logs and soil in suitable locations which will, hopefully, attract Adders and provide additional places for them to hibernatate safely through the winter.

This work is funded by the Partnerships for Nature programme which is led by North Wessex Downs National Landscape. This is funded by the Species Survival Fund from Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and is administered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Building an Adder hibernacula using natural materials.