The team at the Flatford Wildlife Garden have enjoyed being involved with the Dedham Vale AONB led Hedgehog Friendly Village project with East Bergholt. Further information about the project can be found here.
Earlier in the year we ran a free trail around the RSPB wildlife garden with information about hedgehogs to encourage helping them in our own gardens. The RSPB website also has lots of advice about helping hedgehogs.
As you may know the hedgehog population has decreased significantly in recent decades, declining by 50% in the last 20 years. We can all do a little something to help them though. We can make sure they can move in and out of our gardens by leaving a small hole (about 15cm) in the bottom of our garden fences. We can have a woodpile, a compost bin or even an overgrown corner for them to snuggle down in. You might even like to put a hedgehog house in your garden. You can perhaps make one yourself. Here is a simple one on the Hedgehog hospital site Hedgehog-Home.pdf (sttiggywinkles.org.uk)
Photo: Eleanor Bentall
Hedgehogs love to eat bugs and insects but if you want to give them a little extra cat or dog food is fine, particularly kitty biscuits, but we shouldn’t leave them bread and milk, the latter being poisonous to them. A nice quiet spot amongst some shrubs and logs with access to some fresh water and they’ll have their perfect home!
The AONB kindly gave us the hedgehog house below to put in the garden.
Photo: Sarah Milne
There will be a free hedgehog Walk and Talk event on Saturday 5th March 2022 10-12.30 at the Constable Memorial Hall East Bergholt CO7 6TP. To book a place please email DedhamVale.Project@Suffolk.gov.uk