I've got at least 3 families of them in the garden and there's more on the farm.
We actively do a lot to maintain the enironment and balance the food chain as do all farmers in the agri environment and set aside schemes and such as the cross compliance land management and biodiversity schemes.
They are in massive decline and indeed at severe risk because of a number of things: Loss of habitat: Particularly in urban areas because of things like modern gardening habits.... fences and walls going right down to the ground so they can't move around their territory. Gardens that are "too tidy" with nowhere for them to take cover, breed, hibernate. A lot of hard landscaping: patios and decking. Use of pesticides and slug pellets meaning there's less for them to eat and that they too can be poisoned.
In rural areas there's a decline because the badger population is on a corresponding huge increase. There is serious trouble on farms around here and have actually vanished from those that have large badger populations. We're lucky so far; we only have one relatively small badger set and it's a long way from the house.
A heck of a lot get killed on the road. I think I read when I last read the Wildlife preservation report that it's something like 80,000 per annum.
I'd encourage everyone to garden "wildlife friendly" if I had my way.
When it comes to the garden my "style" suits them. Country cottage garden so lots of perennials that stay forever and create a load of vegitation and a mass of cover and I've loads of hedges and shrubs. No neat edges. Indeed no space at all around the plants. Plenty of things like dead logs and leaves. Loads of planting to actively encourage insects. I leave a few areas of the garden quite "wild". IF I use a weedkiller then it will be about once every few years and I tend to paint it on. I've used an insecticide twice in 20 years... both times very specifically and very sparingly for saw fly and when I use that it's ALWAYS on a summer night at about 10pm when everything else in the insect world (like bees and butterflies etc) aren't active and only on the affected plant and area and when there's no wind.
We also have what is possibly one of the biggest compost heaps ever - my partner trains horses and has an equestrian centre and barns full of hay and haylage. All perfect for hedgehog hibernation and in hedhog terms just a short run through the hedge and 300 metres across the field in any direction.
My hedgehogs seem to really like the "Bears Breaches" (acanthus) plants. Big structural plants with huge leaves and that's where a couple of families chose to have their young.
IF I see a hedghog out during the day then it's normally a youngster and often from a late second latter or it's when our weather has started to get bad early and it's safe to presume that IF you see one in daylight that it's likely to be in trouble and it's only then that I put food out for them. I just put out cat or dog food and hope that supplementing might just help them to build reserves so withstand weather or put weight on to manage a winter hibernation.
And because this thread is about hedgehogs here's a couple of photos of ones in my garden and because it's a gardening forum and so you can see how dense my border planting is and why I've got them.
What a beautiful place you have there NorthernLass and perfect for hedgehogs.
I thought I would show you all my 'hedgehog setup'.I live on a newish estate outside a town which was only really finished last year (I have been here 13 years).Previously it had been open fields.The estate does border onto farmland and a great crested newt reserve so that should all remain undeveloped for years to come.The developers had to 'landscape' all the open plan front gardens so many shrubs etc were planted and these have all grown up to form lots of hedgehog friendly areas albeit by roads.
This is my front garden:-
and this is the view along the road from my doorstep:-
My lawn to the side:-
This is the hedgehog tunnel under the gate to the back garden:-
and the exit into the back garden:-
This is the garden they come into:-
and this is the feeding station and hog house (behind the potted shrub):-
this is the hog house:-
and three hoggies napping earlier this year:-
As you can see I live in an area with lots of housing and roads.I am I suppose what you would call a tidy gardener and the garden also has lots of hard landscaping.The hedgehogs turned up 8 years ago of their own accord.They used the hog house the first day I put it out and I have had hedgehogs ever since.The most I have seen in one night is seven.In the winter of 2013/14 they did not hibernate and came around every night.I also have a trail cam and know that I have hedgehogs visit from dusk till dawn.I can even identify individual hedgehogs from markings on their spines which only seem to show up on the heat sensitive camera.
“Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings
The small purple flowered plant just behind the lupin......... and the deep purple one on the dry stone wall immediately above the tall yellow ones in the centre of the picture......... what are they please?
On the wall the stuff planted is all reds and rusts. I think you're probably looking where there's a big patch of persicaria and penstemons. This is it taken closer to... is that what you meant?
What a beautiful place you have there NorthernLass and perfect for hedgehogs.
I thought I would show you all my 'hedgehog setup'.I live on a newish estate outside a town which was only really finished last year (I have been here 13 years)..........
As you can see I live in an area with lots of housing and roads.I am I suppose what you would call a tidy gardener and the garden also has lots of hard landscaping.The hedgehogs turned up 8 years ago of their own accord.They used the hog house the first day I put it out and I have had hedgehogs ever since.The most I have seen in one night is seven.In the winter of 2013/14 they did not hibernate and came around every night.I also have a trail cam and know that I have hedgehogs visit from dusk till dawn.I can even identify individual hedgehogs from markings on their spines which only seem to show up on the heat sensitive camera.
I'm glad you liked my garden.
I really enjoyed seeing yours too and particularly how just little changes and considerations can make such a huge difference for wildlife. Well done.
I've just been out to have a look and it's a little further along from where I took the last photo. I think it's lining up to a bit where there's Veronica Sticata Red Fox, red Astilbe and Sanguisorba officinalis 'Red Thunder’ all planted. I'm thinking you mean the one that's sticking up higher and that's going to be the burnet (Sanquisorba)
We have had hedgehogs, since we moved to this council estate, as it's not far from the Waseleys, worcs etc; l saw one last night l was standing looking at the night sky.
it came up near me, then it went to look round the pots, next it disappeared under
the hedge. l buy live meal-worms plus soft bill mix for wild birds feeding on the ground. so l use these for feeding the the spiky little buddies
Posts
I've got at least 3 families of them in the garden and there's more on the farm.
We actively do a lot to maintain the enironment and balance the food chain as do all farmers in the agri environment and set aside schemes and such as the cross compliance land management and biodiversity schemes.
They are in massive decline and indeed at severe risk because of a number of things: Loss of habitat: Particularly in urban areas because of things like modern gardening habits.... fences and walls going right down to the ground so they can't move around their territory. Gardens that are "too tidy" with nowhere for them to take cover, breed, hibernate. A lot of hard landscaping: patios and decking. Use of pesticides and slug pellets meaning there's less for them to eat and that they too can be poisoned.
In rural areas there's a decline because the badger population is on a corresponding huge increase. There is serious trouble on farms around here and have actually vanished from those that have large badger populations. We're lucky so far; we only have one relatively small badger set and it's a long way from the house.
A heck of a lot get killed on the road. I think I read when I last read the Wildlife preservation report that it's something like 80,000 per annum.
I'd encourage everyone to garden "wildlife friendly" if I had my way.
When it comes to the garden my "style" suits them. Country cottage garden so lots of perennials that stay forever and create a load of vegitation and a mass of cover and I've loads of hedges and shrubs. No neat edges. Indeed no space at all around the plants. Plenty of things like dead logs and leaves. Loads of planting to actively encourage insects. I leave a few areas of the garden quite "wild". IF I use a weedkiller then it will be about once every few years and I tend to paint it on. I've used an insecticide twice in 20 years... both times very specifically and very sparingly for saw fly and when I use that it's ALWAYS on a summer night at about 10pm when everything else in the insect world (like bees and butterflies etc) aren't active and only on the affected plant and area and when there's no wind.
We also have what is possibly one of the biggest compost heaps ever - my partner trains horses and has an equestrian centre and barns full of hay and haylage. All perfect for hedgehog hibernation and in hedhog terms just a short run through the hedge and 300 metres across the field in any direction.
My hedgehogs seem to really like the "Bears Breaches" (acanthus) plants. Big structural plants with huge leaves and that's where a couple of families chose to have their young.
IF I see a hedghog out during the day then it's normally a youngster and often from a late second latter or it's when our weather has started to get bad early and it's safe to presume that IF you see one in daylight that it's likely to be in trouble and it's only then that I put food out for them. I just put out cat or dog food and hope that supplementing might just help them to build reserves so withstand weather or put weight on to manage a winter hibernation.
And because this thread is about hedgehogs here's a couple of photos of ones in my garden and because it's a gardening forum
and so you can see how dense my border planting is and why I've got them.
<
Seem to be having a problem posting photos again! Don't know why they're all having to be different sizes. Sorry about that.
What a beautiful place you have there NorthernLass and perfect for hedgehogs.
I thought I would show you all my 'hedgehog setup'.I live on a newish estate outside a town which was only really finished last year (I have been here 13 years).Previously it had been open fields.The estate does border onto farmland and a great crested newt reserve so that should all remain undeveloped for years to come.The developers had to 'landscape' all the open plan front gardens so many shrubs etc were planted and these have all grown up to form lots of hedgehog friendly areas albeit by roads.
This is my front garden:-
and this is the view along the road from my doorstep:-
My lawn to the side:-
This is the hedgehog tunnel under the gate to the back garden:-
and the exit into the back garden:-
This is the garden they come into:-
and this is the feeding station and hog house (behind the potted shrub):-
this is the hog house:-
and three hoggies napping earlier this year:-
As you can see I live in an area with lots of housing and roads.I am I suppose what you would call a tidy gardener and the garden also has lots of hard landscaping.The hedgehogs turned up 8 years ago of their own accord.They used the hog house the first day I put it out and I have had hedgehogs ever since.The most I have seen in one night is seven.In the winter of 2013/14 they did not hibernate and came around every night.I also have a trail cam and know that I have hedgehogs visit from dusk till dawn.I can even identify individual hedgehogs from markings on their spines which only seem to show up on the heat sensitive camera.
On the wall the stuff planted is all reds and rusts. I think you're probably looking where there's a big patch of persicaria and penstemons. This is it taken closer to... is that what you meant?
I'm glad you liked my garden.
I really enjoyed seeing yours too and particularly how just little changes and considerations can make such a huge difference for wildlife. Well done.
Madpenguin and NorthernLass - Bravo!
"The small purple flowered plant just behind the lupin......."
That's an astrantia
I've just been out to have a look and it's a little further along from where I took the last photo. I think it's lining up to a bit where there's Veronica Sticata Red Fox, red Astilbe and Sanguisorba officinalis 'Red Thunder’ all planted. I'm thinking you mean the one that's sticking up higher and that's going to be the burnet (Sanquisorba)
Hello,
We have had hedgehogs, since we moved to this council estate, as it's not far from the Waseleys, worcs etc; l saw one last night l was standing looking at the night sky.
it came up near me, then it went to look round the pots, next it disappeared under
the hedge. l buy live meal-worms plus soft bill mix for wild birds feeding on the ground. so l use these for feeding the the spiky little buddies