The Natural Gardener
Who can resist a hedgehog? Their sweet faces and quiet vulnerability make them chief candidate for favourite member of the garden wildlife gang. The joy of seeing one on your plot is magic – my dad still talks about a balmy summer evening a couple of years ago, sat out in his garden while two hogs snuffled and shuffled their way around his plants, right by his feet.
They're fascinating animals. Spines are modified hairs like our fingernails, and they've longer legs than you imagine; they can scurry up to two miles an hour if need be. Their sensitive pointed nose gives away a shrew family connection, and although they've poor eyesight they make up for it with a brilliant sense of smell.
They're surprising, too. Did you know they can run, climb and swim? Best of all is their curious charm, though. They're noisy grunters when feeding, and even more so when mating! You'll be able to identify a bit of their poo – which can be quite sizeable – from all the shiny beetle wings in it.
Ecologists call them 'generalists', meaning they're not fussy about where they go to find food and shelter, roaming here, there and everywhere, in hedgerows, fields and, of course, our gardens, if they can get in them easily.
Hedgehogs are our allies. They really are very helpful around the garden, feasting on pesky beetles, caterpillars, slugs and insects, so it's nice to repay the favour by helping them out as they emerge from their winter rest.
While our gardens are potentially ideal for hedgehogs, unfortunately we do brandish a lot of hedgehog-harming weapons while we're in them! Be wary of forking your compost too hard, and check before you mow and strim lawns for tucked away hogs. Slug pellets and other chemicals should also be avoided.
The best things you can do now are to make sure they can get in your garden and have hideyholes such as log piles, twiggy litter or a shop-bought 'hedgehog home'. Put out shallow dishes of water and cat, dog or hedgehog food for them. Most of all, encourage a rich, diverse garden, full of flowering shrubs and plants to bring in plenty of food for these lovely creatures.