Well I was doing my
bit for nature, leaving the hedge-trimming, pruning and tidying up until later so not to disturb the
nesting birds. My garden, I am proud to say, is quite small, rather untidy, a tangle of climbers, overgrown shrubs and not so pristine lawns but
this also makes it very wild-life friendly. Last week I finally started cutting back the hedges,
the flowering shrubs, honeysuckle and
roses and generally tidying up. I started by adding an extension to my Critter Hotel
with an old up-turned wicker cat basket
thinking it might be a cosy winter shelter for our resident hedgehogs. I must
say I was very happy with the result, I was “Giving Nature a Home”, a veritable
palace built out of cut down cable hose, logs and evergreen branches. I was also emptying the compost
bins spreading it around the flower beds and the base of the shrubs for the
Blackbirds and Robins to rummage through. I eventually worked my way to the messiest corner
of the garden where unused pots and trays have lain undisturbed for a couple of
years. I lifted up some corrugated plastic sheeting and Noooooooo- in the far corner
curled up like a hairy caterpillar was a sleeping hedgehog. She was in the perfect place beneath the Beech trees, nestled in a leafy mattress with easy access to the path for her nightly forages in the
garden. I immediately put the sheet back, sprinkled with leaves, hoping that I
hadn’t disturbed her, feeling so guilty wondering if she was already
hibernating or just having an afternoon nap. So the moral of the story is
nature will find a home in the unlikeliest places, in messy pots, clumps of
twigs and leafy litter. The beginning of November is when hedgehogs normally settle
down for the winter and as Guy Fawkes
Night approaches this is a time to be extra vigilant. Devon Wildlife Trust advise leaving bonfire building
as late as possible. Our hedgehogs have been in the garden for years but I have
never known where their home is, I also didn’t know that they will usually wake
and forage more than once through the winter so I will continue to leave a few
nuts by the door on warmer nights.Article and Photo Pat Adams 1/11/2013
- Devon Wildlife Trust - Adopt a Species
- The RSPB have tips on Giving Nature a Home.
- RSPCA North Devon
- North Devon Animal Ambulance - Wildlife Rescue
- Wikepedia Stub The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter. It was published by Frederick Warne & Co. in October 1905.
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