One of the nicest things about a garden, in my opinion, is watching the wildlife that it draws in. There are few people who don’t love the sight of birds, bees, butterflies and ladybirds. Worms, frogs and toads may have a more mixed reception but are undoubtedly gardeners’ friends and should be welcomed and encouraged. And then there are the nocturnal animals we may rarely see in person, such as the hedgehog, beloved by gardeners for its docile nature and unique charm, as well as its pest controlling abilities, chomping through slugs and snails as it waddles around in a whimsical manner.
Hedgehogs are generally portrayed in literature and folklore as magical and friendly creatures. The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle was one of my favourite Beatrix Potter stories and I loved the final picture in the book of her scurrying away no longer in her washerwoman clothes, but instead small, brown and covered in prickles, and the discovery that she was actually “nothing but a hedgehog”.
In ancient Egypt, hedgehogs were sacred and their hibernation was likened to rebirth and reincarnation. Not quite as benign was the belief in medieval times that hedgehogs were witches in disguise, stealing milk from cows by attaching themselves to udders.
Growing up in the 1980s, I also remember hedgehog flavour crisps being a thing. The packets were clearly labelled to make it known that they were made ‘without harming a single spike of a real hedgehog’. Despite this, the company did run into trouble with the Trades Description Act 1968, leading them to being rebranded as ‘hedgehog flavour’ rather than ‘hedgehog flavoured’. A percentage of the profits were donated to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. Given how we love hedgehogs and the fact that their numbers are in severe decline, it’s perhaps not surprising that the crisps fell out of favour in the 1990s.
The reasons for the declining numbers of hedgehogs are familiar – disappearance of habitats such as hedgerows, overuse of pesticides reducing food supply, and road deaths. Up to 330,000 hedgehogs are estimated to die on Britain’s roads each year, with numbers spiking in summer. Hedgehogs are protected in the UK under several laws, and in 2020 they were added to the Red List for British mammals as “vulnerable to extinction”. It’s generally illegal to kill, capture or disturb wild hedgehogs in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and cruelty and mistreatment of hedgehogs is also a crime. Campaigners are pushing to extend the laws further to protect habitats and nesting sites from disturbance.
Hedgehogs are found in both rural and urban areas, and it’s around April that they emerge from hibernation and may need our help. There are lots of things we can do to encourage them to our gardens and support them generally. Hedgehogs roam up to 3km a night to forage for food, so including hedgehog holes in fencing allows them to move freely between gardens.
Some fence suppliers stock fence options with gaps in the gravel boards to create “hedgehog highways”, or you can cut your own holes in existing fencing – the recommended size is 13cm x 13cm. Closed-off gardens isolate hedgehogs so they can’t find places to forage for food, breed and hibernate, so it’s really important to make sure these creatures can get in and out easily. Many housing developers are also getting on board and making sure they include hedgehog holes in the fencing of their new developments.
Other hedgehog-friendly gardening practices include leaving areas of the garden messy and wild. Areas of dry leaves will attract insects to provide a food supply for hedgehogs, and a log pile can create a safe place to breed and hibernate. Alternatively, a hedgehog house can be bought or made, then positioned in a sheltered and quiet spot in the garden. Fill it with dry leaves and hopefully a hedgehog will take up residence. Consider putting out food and a shallow dish of water, but avoid the traditional offerings of bread and milk as hedgehogs are lactose intolerant and milk can make them ill. Go for cat food or specialist hedgehog food instead. A pond is great for all kinds of wildlife, including hedgehogs, which will benefit from having a year-round water supply. Although they are excellent swimmers, make sure there is a gently sloping edge so they can escape if they do fall in.
For more information about helping hedgehogs in your garden, the British Hedgehog Preservation Society website is a good place to start, britishhedgehogs.org.uk. If you find a sick, injured or orphaned hedgehog, you can contact Hedgehog Rescue, a local organisation run by volunteers that cares for hedgehogs in around Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. Visit hedgehogrescue.info to find out more.
Elly West is a professional garden designer, working in and around the Bath and Bristol areas; find her at ellyswellies.co.uk
