Ahead of a nervous weekend for thousands of hedgehogs as Bonfire Night celebrations get underway, the spiky mammal can take comfort in being named the nation’s favourite garden creature.
The survey by The Wildlife Trusts (TWT) and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has been undertaken as part of their joint project Wild About Gardens. Hot contenders for the favourite species were the robin, frog, blackbird and ladybird – all making the top ten.
Although seven of the top ten contenders eat garden pests, gardeners chose their favourite species for a variety of reasons and many were influenced by the attractive or colourful appearance of some species as well as the entertaining personalities displayed by some of our native wildlife.
Encouragingly, the majority of those surveyed said gardeners should be encouraged to do more to support wildlife and were a vital link in preserving those species in decline such as the song thrush and the bumblebee.
Wild About Gardens aims to bring the worlds of gardening and nature conservation closer together, to increase understanding of the significance of local wildlife character, celebrate what garden owners are already doing to support wildlife and to build on existing research into the wildlife potential of domestic gardens.
Elaine Lambert, Chief Executive of Sussex Wildlife Trust said, ‘With natural habitats such as wildflower meadows and ancient woodlands disappearing at an alarming rate, gardens are quickly becoming important havens for a wide range of birds and mammals, amphibians and invertebrates.
‘There are an estimated 15 million gardens in the UK covering around 270,000 hectares, an area greater than all the designated National Nature Reserves in the UK.
‘I hope that this project will encourage people in Sussex to take part at a local community level, and will inspire them to take action to make their own gardens and green spaces havens for wildlife.’
To find out more about the project log on to the website www.wildaboutgardens.org which hosts an online discussion forum to share tips, ideas and stories about experiences of wildlife in the garden.
For up to the minute advice on how to help the wildlife living in your garden contact WildCall, Sussex Wildlife Trust’s dedicated wildlife information hotline – 01273 494777.
Press enquiries: Amanda Solomon, Press Officer,
Sussex Wildlife Trust, Woods Mill, Henfield, West Sussex, BN5 9SD.
Tel: 01273-492630 Email: amandasolomon@sussexwt.org.uk
