Why we all need to invest in hedge funds
WE have been involved in a saga in our village, to have a metal fence removed to be replaced by something nicer.
It’s taken us 15 years and we are going to get a hedge, which has been the cause of much rejoicing in the pubs, tea room, post office and shop.
We are looking forward to having a new hedge festival when it is planted.
It has been an interesting process and I have learned much about hedgerows as it has gone on.
Of course, one of the reasons for wildlife decline in the United Kingdom has been the removal of hedgerows from the countryside. Hedges provide important shelter and protection for wildlife, particularly nesting birds and hibernating insects.
Hedgehog numbers have plummeted over the past 70 years, and much of this is due to the removal of hedgerows, a lot of this was due to intensive agriculture requiring huge open fields.
Imagine those huge networks and protected pathways for wildlife that hedgerows provide.
In a hedge there is shelter from bad and good weather and safe places to breed and raise young.
They offer food in the form of leaves, nectar-rich flowers, berries, fruits, seeds and nuts and are also good hunting grounds for predators seeking insects and other invertebrates.
They make natural windbreaks, creating sheltered areas in the garden, which is particularly important for butterflies.
A good, varied hedge is great in your garden and will attract lots of wildlife.
A hedgehog was around my mum’s garden on a fairly hedge free estate in Salford for some weeks a couple of years ago.
It’s vital that we plant some hedges to provide a network for these endangered mammals. Hedges can provide nectar in spring and summer for insects and berries for food in autumn.
If you have ivy in your hedge, it flowers late giving insects a late nectar source. These are great places for hedgehogs, bats, mice, rabbits, frogs, toads and loads of birds. Did you know that hares don’t dig burrows?
They nest in shallow depressions called forms, under safe places like hedgerows.
There is another hedge in our village, which appears to be a meeting place for many of the local birds. It is a raucous place with lots of twittering and singing. Passing by first thing in the morning is an absolute joy and raises your spirits, ready for the rest of the day. So, it’s not all about our communal hedge looking nice in our lovely village, it’s about the wildlife it will bring in too – making it a living, singing, squabbling place that will delight people living there and wandering by.
We are looking forward to having a new hedge festival when it is planted