The fox has many tricks. The hedgehog has but one. But that is the best of all.
It is literally years since I heard or let alone saw one of these delightful, little creatures in the garden. We used to have them frequently popping into the house porch on warm, summer evenings to clear up the cats food from the dishes that were left there. One of my favourite stories as a small child was “Mrs. Tiggywinkle”.
However, we do have a large badger population and it is said that they will kill and eat hedgehogs; their powerful jaws being too much for a little rolled up bundle of spines. Badgers are also in competition with the hedgehog for some of the same food sources – earthworms etc. We also used to see the occasional “hedgey ” that had met it’s end on the main road, but I rarely see these casualties nowadays either. So who knows what has lead to their seeming demise in this mostly grassland and wooded area. Lets us hope there are a few out and about unseen. It would be a very sad passing if they vanished altogether.
Illustrated Country Diary 
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