Filling the gaps in animal highways

Hedgerows near Winchester are to undergo vital restoration this month so that they can continue to play a role in sustaining local wildlife.

The work at St Cross Farm in the area continues a five-year project by the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust to improve hedgerows to create better habitats and food sources for wildlife. Well-laid hedges support a range of mammals, bats and birds, providing food, shelter and highways for animals to move safely across the countryside – often linking otherwise isolated woodlands.

Carried out by volunteers, the restoration involves planting up gaps in the hedges and cutting them on rotation. Native hazel, hawthorn, blackthorn, dog rose, guelder rose and alder buckthorn will be used to fill spaces in the hedges, increasing their diversity, and that of the wildlife that relies on them.

Samantha Herbert