Helping Hedgehogs
This week is the nominated Wild About Gardens week, and the focus this year is on gardening for hedgehogs. Wild About Gardens is an initiative which encourages people to make their gardens wildlife-friendly and is a joint project between the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and the Wildlife Trusts.
Hedgehogs eat caterpillars, slugs and snails as part of their diet, and so are beneficial to the gardener. One of the most lamented facts about allotment sites is the lack of hedgehogs. This is probably due to the use of pesticides and slug pellets. Luckily, there are plenty of things you can do to encourage hedgehogs into your garden at home.
The top tips are:
- Cut a small access hole in solid garden fences so that hedgehogs can enter your garden.
- Leave a pile of logs to rot down in a corner to encourage bugs which will in turn attract hedgehogs.
- Put out cat food in a secure place. If you have an outside light you can watch the hedgehogs feeding.
- Make a hedgehog home where they can hibernate over winter. A big pile of leaves will do.
For more information about hedgehogs and other wildlife visit the following sites:
Wild About Gardens website
Expert wildlife advice on the RHS wildlife page
The Welcoming Wildlife factsheet
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