Though there’s plenty of rain to go around the UK this autumn, gardeners are still being asked to help out by providing a dedicated feeding area for one species in particular
Gardeners are being urged to put something in their gardens over the coming weeks in a bid to boost an endangered species.
With the gloomy British weather serving up lashings of rain, the Met Office has been sounding the alarm with successive rain warnings this autumn. While far from ideal, this does give Brits the opportunity to protect a certain struggling garden visitor, the hedgehog.
These snuffling creatures face a gauntlet of modern threats: habitat loss, climate upheaval, and even contemporary garden designs are proving a bane for their survival. Yet these prickly pals are not just cute; they’re natural pest controllers, munching through unwelcome slugs and snails, reports the Express.
That’s why wildlife enthusiasts and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society are calling on gardeners to lay out trays of water in October – offering a lifeline to these beneficial beasts as winter looms. They advise: “Creating a wild corner or edge or building a log pile will provide natural food and shelter for visiting hedgehogs. To supplement their natural diet you can offer meaty hedgehog food, meaty cat or dog food or cat biscuits.
“They will also need dishes of clean water. Spreading the food over multiple sites will reduce the risk of aggressive encounters at food bowls. Scattering some of the food will encourage more natural foraging behaviour.”
It adds: “Hedgehogs are nocturnal so those out in the day are displaying odd behaviour. Even though they appear lively and are rushing around these hedgehogs probably need rescuing in autumn/winter.
“Once out in the day they can be days away from death. Even when rescued they can seem OK for a day or so and then suddenly collapse and die. Therefore, if out in the day in autumn/winter, whether rushing about or curled up asleep they need rescuing. Hedgehogs do NOT hibernate in the open. They make a nest of leaves etc and disappear into the depths of the nest and are completely hidden”
For more details on the British Hedgehog Preservation Society visit their website.