Hedgehogs in Appleton

Who doesn't love a hedgehog? They love living on the edge of woodlands, and are largely nocturnal. They live in hedgerows - as their name suggests - and the pattern of fields, hedges and woodlands of the British countryside suits them very well.
They eat invertebrates - worms, slugs, beetles and caterpillars, so they are welcome garden visitors.
We certainly enjoy them in Appleton: Diane left out a trap for rats baited with peanut butter, and these chaps turned up! Apparently it was a devil of a job getting them out, so be careful with your traps. Thanks for the photos, Diane!

Our iNaturalist project has also found hedgehogs - 11 sightings in all. For details of this project head to the iNaturalist section of the site.
Some of the best pictures are shown in the graphic below.
It's really important to keep encouraging these lovely animals in our gardens, as the hedgehog population is in decline. This is mostly due to habitat loss as more intensive agricultural practices increase, and urbanisation, as more and more land is given over to housing.
In urban areas, the population seems to be stabilising but rurally, the decline continues.

So encourage hedgehogs in your garden. Ensuring hedgehogs can pass freely through gardens is one of the most important things you can do to help them. Make a hedgehog highway by cutting a small hole in your fence or removing a brick from a wall. This will allow them to roam freely in search of food or a mate. Or you can put out food for them - cat food will do, you don't have to go hunting slugs - and you might get visitors like the ones shown below.