The Natural Gardener
In the spirit of Hedgehog Awareness Week, which runs until May 8, I thought I’d shed a little light on the nation’s favourite mammal. They’re so beloved of gardeners and nongardeners alike, but how much do you really know about them?
Well, they’re officially labelled as insectivores, which eat soil invertebrates such as earthworms and beetles and like to forage around lawns or in nooks and crannies to find them. They eat lots of slugs and caterpillars, too, making them the gardener’s best friend. They have tiny tails, loose skin so they can stretch around to roll into a ball easily and are covered in quills, or modified hairs, made of the same stuff as our hair and nails. They have surprisingly long legs, can roam up to two miles at night and run quite fast, or even climb, when they need to! If you’ve heard any strange noises outside at night recently it could be your local hedgehogs out and about – they make loud snuffling noises when searching for food, while pig-like grunting could mean they’re either mating or fighting! As I found out last year when a badger or fox feasted on one in our garden in the middle of the night, ear-piercing, highpitched screams mean distress.
Urban hedgehogs prefer the rich habitat of close-knit terraced or semi-detached homes rather than larger expanses, and these little town-dwellers tend to be more active after midnight when cars and people are less likely to be around, whereas rural hogs just wait until nightfall. Hogs hibernate between November and March, when their heart rate and body temperature fall and they cosy up in leaf or wood piles – or sometimes in man-made hedgehog homes if well sited and covered.
Hedgehogs are declining in general, though a 2018 report suggested their numbers are in recovery in urban areas, which is encouraging – but there’s a long way to go. We should be trying to help them as best we can as there are so many pitfalls (of human doing) that can endanger them.
Firstly, don’t give them bread and milk! They get diarrhoea if you do; they prefer meaty cat food and water. Always check for hedgehogs before you use the strimmer or mower on long grass and check your compost bin before forking it over. Cover deep holes or drains, ensure your pond has an easy way in and out for them to go, and be mindful that garden netting can be dangerous. The two best things you can do, though, to help along your hedgehogs, is to make sure there are gaps in your fence and hedges at about 13x13cm (5x5in) for them to roam, and – as an all-round ethos – try to stop using pesticides and poisons. Hedgehogs, and our other wildlife, will thank you!