Over the past 10 years, the numbers of hedgehogs in the UK have dropped by around 30%.
The RHS and Wildlife Trusts are working alongside the British Hedgehog Street Campaign to show the importance of protecting hedgehogs.
The campaign will take place during the Wild About Gardening Week, which takes place from October 26 to the beginning of November.
Many organisations are getting involved to promote the week and encourage people to prevent hedgehogs from suffering a further decline, especially during the winter months.
They are asking gardeners to create safer parts in their gardens to protect hedgehogs, as each night hedgehogs can travel more than a mile.
Central to Wild About Gardening Week, there will be hedgehog themed talks and workshops.
Gardeners are being encourage to make small 5 inch cuts in fences for hedgehogs to get through. Also, instructions will be available for making a hedgehog house.
A competition is being held throughout the week targeted at schools, individuals and groups to make a hedgehog home.
There are many tips available to ensure the safety of hedgehogs. Instead of erecting a fence in your garden, a hedge is a safer option allowing hedgehogs to always fit through.
The use of organic slug pellets is also suggested, to prevent the hedgehogs from being poisoned.
The British Hedgehog Preservation Society have suggested that you could create a wildlife pond in your garden and fill it with rocks to prevent hedgehogs drowning whilst they’re enjoying the water.
Hedgehogs eat insects from the garden, which live in long grass, so it is important not to mow your lawn too short. They also live off plants which attract pollinators, which is a factor to consider when investing in your flower garden.
For more information on hedgehogs and how to encourage them into your garden, click here:
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