iNews reports how dead branches and twigs can be a surprisingly useful resource for a range of garden animals, from insects and other invertebrates to small mammals and birds.

They can be turned into simple log piles, obelisks made from long branches or even an ambitious “dead hedge”.

Now is a good time to begin any such projects because autumn and winter are the right months for pruning many trees and shrubs. It is easier to see what needs to be removed once their branches are bare.

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