National Trust ranger James Robbins took this picture of a sleeping dormouse in a nestbox at Cotehele, near St Dominick.

‘Dormice are fattening up for winter now,’ said James.

‘They gorge like mad on berries and nuts, especially hazelnuts, then they sleep, then eat some more, until finally they crawl under leaf litter at the base of trees for the winter hibernation.

’They’ll become active again in spring.’