Make Your Garden A Hedgehog Haven
With reports that our hedgehog population is in serious decline, how can we help reverse the trend?
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has published their red list of critically endangered species and our humble countryside hedgehog has now sadly gained made their way up the list from “least concern’ to “near threatened” after a 30% decline in the Western European hedgehog population over the last decade.
Losing our spiky garden visitors would have consequences beyond the sadness of losing this beloved childhood favourite. Hedgehogs play an important role in our countryside’s ecosystem, and their absence would disrupt the natural balance in ways we may not yet fully understand.
Hedgehogs are a natural and efficient pest control system. They will happily munch on beetles, caterpillars, slugs, snails, and other enemies of the market gardener, thus avoiding any need for pesticides which can harm wildlife and pollute water sources.
The hedgehog is also an important part of the diet of countryside predators like owls and foxes. The decline of hedgehogs should be a warning sign to us all that the delicate balance of our environment is in trouble, whether due to pollution, habitat loss, or climate change.
So how do we help reverse this alarming decline? We can help by turning our gardens and courtyards into hedgehog havens.
Hedgehog Houses
Encourage hedgehogs to visit your garden and find a safe haven by creating a hedgehog friendly space for them to nest, either by building a hedgehog house, like this Wildlife Trust design, or by simply leaving an un-raked leaf pile in a quiet corner of your garden.
Hedgehog Highways
Modern planning has made life difficult for hedgehogs. They are creatures of habit, often following the same path between their nests, food sources, and drinking water, so when new developments are built where they live, with fenced off gardens, they can find their usual route blocked. As our green spaces become more developed, we need to create hedgehog highways by leaving gaps about 13cm high in fences and walls to allow our garden visitors to roam freely looking for food, water and a mate.
Help Hibernation
At this time of year, hedgehogs are preparing for hibernation so need to build up body fat. You can help by leaving ready sources of food. A popular misconception is that hedgehogs need bread and milk when in fact this can upset their stomachs. They can eat wet or dry dog and cat food, or you can make your own hedgehog feast from cooked unseasoned skinless and boneless chicken, minced beef or lamb. Remember to leave out a shallow dish of water too, so they won’t have to roam further to find a drink.
Keep your garden an insect friendly environment by avoiding pesticides and chemicals, this will keep your hedgehog friends with a ready source of slugs and bugs, and will keep your veg patch un-nibbled.
Think Hedgehog
Before undertaking any garden cleaning project, whether raking or lighting a bonfire, always check for any sleeping hedgehogs first. If you have a spiky resident, then leave them undisturbed - a tidy garden can always wait.
As we make room for hedgehogs in our gardens, we're helping to nurture a vital piece of our natural heritage for future generations. That’s something worth protecting.
