Even though Hedgehogs are a common sight in books and in stories, the realty is that Hedgehogs in the wild are struggling and their numbers have declined because of habitat loss and a decrease in the food that they eat.

Did You Know?

Hedgehogs like to eat all sorts of bugs and because they hoover up insects in vegetable beds and flower borders, they are considered to be a gardener’s best friend. Additionally, they will also eat amphibians, birds’ eggs and other things they can catch, like worms and beetles. Hedgehogs are most active at night so it’s likely that you’ll see them when it’s dark. Find out more facts about Hedgehogs here.

Make A Hedgehog A Home

Over winter, Hedgehogs hibernate in a dry, warm space – often in a pile of leaves or logs called a hibernaculum although you could help them out and build a Hedgehog home this summer, ready for them to move into your outdoor space, come November.

Create A Hedgehog Highway

Did you know that the average Hedgehog likes to roam about 2km every night? Being able to move from garden to garden is really important for their survival but because many of us have fences its not always easy for them to do so. By creating a hole in your fence, or a channel beneath it, you’ll open up the start of a Hedgehog highway and better still if you can convince your neighbours to do the same, you’ll be inviting them to roam throughout your neighbourhood. You can find out how to create a Hedgehog hole here.

Come And Meet A Giant Hedgehog!

Have you met ‘Willougby’ our giant Hedgehog yet? Willoughby was made from Willow by artist, Deb Hart and was commissioned by the Trust as part of our Herts Wild Art project. Willoughby sits in the Trust’s wildlife garden in Verulamium Park – the garden is open throughout the day for all to enjoy so why not pop along and meet a larger than life Hedgehog? You might even want to get a selfie with him!

Discover More About Hedgehogs

We’re incredibly lucky that our friends at Hornbeam Wood Hedgehog Sanctuary in Harpenden look after and rehabilitate wild Hedgehogs and orphaned hoglets, who are sick, injured or underweight. If you would like to get a close up view of what the sanctuary does and find out more about these wonderful creatures, you could consider joining us for one of the regular events we hold at the sanctuary. Keep an eye on our events page for upcoming events.

And finally…

That’s the end of our Summer Holiday Wild Fun series. We hope you have had the best time discovering some of our wonderful wildlife over the past six weeks and have enjoyed the summer holidays.

Please continue to stay safe whilst enjoying the great outdoors and all it has to offer. To help you do that, we’ve produced this blog ‘Stay Safe in Hot Weather’ –  with advice on water safety and fire safety, as well as tips for your own personal safety and comfort.

Have you kept a record of all your school summer holiday activities? We’d love to see what you’ve got up to so please do share your stories, photos and creations with us on social media. You’ll find us at @hertswildlifetrust on Instagram and Facebook and @HMWTBadger on Twitter.