GrowGirl

Mrs Tiggy Winkle, the famous Hedgehog from Beatrix Potters book.
Beatrix was born in 1866 in South Kensington London. She kept many animals and started studying them and drawing them. She visited places of great natural beauty in Scotland and the Lake District. She enjoyed painting landscape pictures.
In 1902 with encouragement (and her own money) she published the Tale of Peter Rabbit. http://www.visitcumbria.com/bpotter.htm
One of her other books was the Hedgehog Mrs Tiggy Winkle...
I found a BBC article a few days ago about the apparent decline of Hedgehogs in Urban Britain. They were in good health when there were lots of houses with hedgerows. The spread of decking, and patios make the green spaces smaller. Busy roads are now impassable to the snuffling hedgehogs. In fact thats how they estimated population is by the amount of roadkill deaths. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6975945.stm
I looked at hedgehog images as diverse as cuddly toys, ornaments, pictures, tea towels, fridge magents, cups, and characters.. (including Mrs Tiggy Winkle), so I know hedgehogs are a loved British wild animal.
I must have a garden with a hedgerow, and some fallen leaves and logs. Some food on a plate. They are perfect houseguests coming and going unobtrusively.
The article finishes "If you want hedgehogs in your gardens or park, see that they have what they need, shelter and food. Learn about hedgehogs so you can begin to think like them. The Essence of Empathy is that level of understanding."
I wander what peoples favourite wildlife is. I love the English countryside with Foxes, squirrels, badgers, hedgehogs...They have become part of the folk lore, and in storys as old as Aesops Fables, to the Beatrix Potter storys.
It would be a crime if they are allowed to die out because of the changing Urban landscape. Something that we can prevent by making our gardens wildlife friendly.
We need to keep the green corridors open for our wild visitors.


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