Hedgehogs are loved by many as they’re cute, tiny and adorable, but attracting them to your garden can be hard unless you know some simple methods to encourage them. Luckily for you, an expert has shared some advice to teach people how they can help the little creatures to visit, and it may be easier than you think.
There are a few things you can do to attract hedgehogs and help care for them during the winter months when they need a little nurturing. During the colder months, food and shelter becomes more difficult for them to find, so anything you can do in the garden to aid them will go a long way during the colder months of the year.
Head of Technical at Mr Fothergill’s, David Fryer, recently issued some super important advice. It comes after it was confirmed placing a simple item in your garden could encourage hedgehogs to visit.
David said: “A tidy lawn might look smart, but a few quiet corners left undisturbed can make all the difference to local wildlife. Leave dead wood and small log piles in shaded areas for beetles, woodlice and other insects.
“Even a simple ‘bug hotel’ made from pinecones, hollow stems, straw and small stones offers a safe refuge for beneficial insects over winter.”
Talking about hedgehogs, he added: “Small heaps of twigs and branches make perfect hiding spots for hedgehogs and shrews, while an upturned terracotta pot can provide a cool, damp shelter for frogs and toads. These micro-habitats not only protect wildlife but also bring useful pest controllers right into your garden.”
What do I need to know?
Leaving a heap of twigs and sticks (also known as a log or brush pile) is an excellent way to provide shelter, nesting material and a natural food source for hedgehogs and other garden wildlife during the winter months. In other words, you don’t really need to tidy up.
When setting up the pile, choose a quiet, undisturbed and shady corner of your garden. Then simply pile up fallen branches, logs, twigs and woody prunings.
Generally, you should stack larger logs at the base to create air gaps and stability. Then fill the gaps with smaller sticks, bark and dry leaves to make it comfortable.
You can leave the pile to rot naturally, and add new material each year as the old elements decay and compress over time. Ensure there’s an opening at the bottom to make sure it’s easy for hedgehogs to get in.
Why are they beneficial?
If you didn’t know, hedgehogs are attracted to twig and leaf heaps as they offer essential shelter and are rich in their natural food sources. Though “untidy”, the habitat is crucial for their survival, especially for nesting, hibernation and hiding from predators.
They like a dry place to make nests and, if you ensure the material is readily available in one spot, it can be a big advantage to them. As well as this, the damp, dark environment of a decomposing log and twig pile attracts a wide range of invertebrates.
These make up the hedgehog’s primary diet. So leaving a simple heap in your garden for them can aid the small creatures in more ways than you realise.
If you want to help them further, you could also leave a dish of water outside too. This will help them to stay hydrated during the winter months.
There are a few ways you can adapt your garden to aid them. You just need to be clued up on what to do.
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