We've been thinking about the wild animals in our outdoor space this Autumn & how they'll survive during Winter. After exploring our hibernation theme we decide to build a Hedgehog House ready for any spinal mammals needing shelter.
Sadly the number of hedgehogs in the UK has declined over recent years, due to habitat destruction & climate change. Building a Hedgehog House in your garden is just one simple way you can help them survive in your area.
To make this simple Hedgehog House we collected collected a variety of fallen sticks from nearby trees along with plenty of autumn leaves
This was a perfect opportunity to experiment outdoors, & develop problem solve skills while constructing with natural materials. My 3 year old was able to explore & adapt her thinking as she independently created a home for wildlife.
She requested help to build the initial structure, so we collected the larger branches to create a frame, before she set to work building the rest of the hedgehog house by adding smaller branches & twigs over the top.
We added the leaves around the outside so hedgehogs could snuffle through them & discover food. Hedgehogs eat a variety of insects including; beetles, slugs, earthworms, millipedes & earwigs, so the leaves will attract a good supply of food for them.
If you have hedgehogs visiting your garden, you can also leave a saucer of cat/dog food, cat biscuits, or special hedgehog food for them to find, along with a dish of water. Remember, never feed them milk & bread as it can make them ill.
We've recently cleared our butterfly garden ready for the winter, & this structure is now nestling in the corner ready for any visitors to stop by. Our neighbours have small spaces under their fences so any hedgehogs can easily roam between gardens & hopefully find their new Hedgehog House.
We added a sign just to make sure the hedgehogs knew where to head for.
We added the sign & our hedgehog house was complete!
My little builder even added a house guest to welcome the hedgehogs too!
We're looking forward to seeing who visits over the next few weeks.
Why not build a Hedgehog House in a quiet space in your garden? By creating this simple twig pile you'll be helping plenty of other wildlife this winter too.