Nature with John Sears
Last updated 13:57, Thursday, 03 April 2008
That’s the point: hedgehogs remind us of the importance of spring
MARCH was a month when winter had its final fling, with fierce and fitful gales and driving gusts of sleet and snow, silencing all but the bravest of our song birds, like the Stormcock or Mistle Thrush, singing undaunted into the very teeth of the wind.
Yet then there were those days of lukewarm sun, when wildlife was lured forth seeking sustenance, like our first spring bumble bees and then the honey bees, both kinds vital in the pollination of so many flowers and fruit trees – something we so easily take for granted. Then one March morning, the warming sun lured forth a hedgehog (or hedgepig as the younger animal may be called).
Hedgehogs usually come out foraging at night and will avidly devour large quantities of slugs and some snails too. This hedgepig appeared in my Egremont garden and there is some evidence that they may travel over half a mile in a night’s foraging, using their keen smell to locate their prey.
From the fossil evidence, hedgehogs have been around for an amazing 20 million years, yet the outlook for them is not good. Some 100,000 are killed on the roads each year or get maimed and die from mowers and strimmers. Some are poisoned by those wretched slug pellets, which can be lethal to other wildlife, including birds. In last year’s wet, slug-infested summer I trapped many of these pests by putting out little saucers of milk or beer – what a way to go!
Piles of leaves among rank vegetation are favourite hedgehog nesting places. I realise all this might be better suited for an October article, when the hogs are looking for winter hibernation places – but there is no time like the here and now!
Always check bonfires before lighting them. Hedgehogs have a habit of curling up among the inflammable debris and could meet a quite horrible end. Garden ponds with steep sides are another danger zone. Make sure the pond has gently sloping sides so that the hog can get out.
Milder autumns also mean that some litters are being born later in the year. Then the young may not put on enough fat reserves to see them through the critical winter months.
Hedgehogs are insectivores and can be encouraged with minced meat, dog or cat food but not the fishy varieties. The experts say one should not give them milk but always put out fresh water.
Hedgehogs have survived for millennia safe from most predators, because of their spiny coat and habit of curling up in a ball. But this makes them especially vulnerable. I gave up using strimmers a long time ago, which can cause terrible mutilating injuries.
Not long ago, I watched a BBC2 programme on the wildlife of Dartmoor, an area with its vast expanses of peaty moor, hard acidic rocks, lonely ancient woods and flowing becks, not unlike the lovely fell country around West Cumbria. The presenter, Satish Kumar, is a Jain monk and appeared really grounded in true ecological values. Using the tree as one example, he said it takes only what it needs in pollination – it is an object lesson in frugality and simplicity. If we can even begin to reduce our excessive consumption of resources, of things we don’t need, we are living more ecologically. Skolimowski in his excellent book A Sacred Place to Dwell – Living with Reverence upon the Earth makes the point succintly; “Frugality is Grace without Waste – A Joy in Living Simply”.
