Support Your Local Hedgehog
In Praise of Erinaceus Europaeus…
I am fortunate to work in a kitchen which is surrounded by eighty eight acres of woodland, there is a small lake, a field where a local farmer keeps his lambs and huge trees lining the woodland walks.
The long driveway to the hotel entrance is not without interest, wood pigeons flap about in the overhanging trees, pheasants walk past as nonchalant as you like, oblivious to the threat of a human being or more especially a human being with a shotgun. Rabbits scurry into the undergrowth, grey squirrels dart through the tree tops whilst the village mallard ducks parade up and down.
This is always a nice way to start the morning, a glimpse of nature before the stresses of a busy kitchen ensue. Yesterday as I approached my destiny with work a young hedgehog was kind enough to stop and pose for me, the first hedgehog I had seen anywhere for some years.
Not something I would recommend for the hunter/gatherer’s menu not least because of their appetite for my arch enemy the snail. A resident hedgehog is not a bad addition to the garden, kitchen gardens will be glad of a free slug, caterpillar and snail exterminator although it will also eat birds eggs. If you discover a hedgehog in your garden then give the slug pellets a miss and leave some bread and diluted milk out for them. Be careful not to disturb them, a mother will eat or abandon her young if the nest is disturbed.
Finally, don’t be tempted to pick one up, an adult has over 5,000 spikes on its back!
Now You’re Talking !
Great post and great picture, hedgehogs are the finest living creatures.
Could I just make one point to all your readers:
Please Do Not Give Them Bread & Milk
It’s a common misnomer and very bad for them.
The best thing is water in a dish, every night please, especially in the warm weather and pet food, for puppies and kittens, especially chicken based (no fish ones)
There is also a special brand of tinned food called Spike’s Dinner.
Great post and great pic !
Rod
April 3, 2008 @ 7:54 am
Rod,
I shall contact the publisher of the book which recommends bread and milk for them.
Thanks
Miles
April 3, 2008 @ 9:21 am
Miles,
Are they any relation to the legendary truffle snuffling hogs….. that coupled with the pest control puts them in the very desirable bracket
Cid
April 3, 2008 @ 12:34 pm
Miles,
Strange that you should write this post today with the great photo. I had just pointed out to Mr. Nean the little trail the hedgehog had left in our garden. He has clearly woken up (the hedgehog)and I shall have to be alert as to where I put my foot!
We are keen to support these lovely creatures and supply more than enough slugs to satisfy their needs. Anyone with further interest can visit www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk
Elsie
April 3, 2008 @ 1:19 pm
Cid,
I wish! Saying that I wish I’d bought that tree impregnated with truffe spores when I heard about it-I’d ony have another seven years to wait for one now!
Miles
April 3, 2008 @ 10:11 pm
Elsie,
I too have had lavatorial evidence upon my freshly mown lawn-they could be one of Cid’s truffles but I didn’t fancy smelling it
Miles
April 3, 2008 @ 10:13 pm
Now THAT is a terminally cute little critter. Been a long time since I’ve seen one. We get their gi-normous cousins the porcupine around here every so often.
April 4, 2008 @ 8:43 pm
Hank,
You’re not wrong there, I’ve just found out that my neighbour has a resident hedgehog in her back garden!
April 4, 2008 @ 9:10 pm