First thing to consider - why has the government not used the hedgehog? If they wanted to explain how best to avoid this damn virus, we need look no further than everyone's favourite animal. Right now, as we are being told to stay home - the hedgehog is preparing for hibernation - the ultimate in staying home. And when the hedgehog goes out, it wears a coat of prickles that ensures social distancing. I must pitch this idea to that priapic blancmange ...

More seriously - this time of year is when hedgehogs can become very vulnerable. The collision of historic festivals with the urge to tidy means bonfires are a thing ... now ... I am often asked what is the best hedgehog house to buy and I tell people that actually the best thing they can do is collect a great pile of dried leaves, surround it with small twigs, then larger sticks and then some logs - and there you have it ... a bonfire and a hedgehog home. Indistinguishable to a snuffling snout. 

This year there will not be the large scale community fires, but people will want to create some light and heat - if you must then PLEASE follow the guidance from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. The easiest solution is to build your bonfire the same day you plan to light it. This will prevent hedgehogs making it a home. If it is already built, then use a long stick or the handle of a rake to lever it up and check.

The urge to tidy up the garden is something I wrote about in Chris Packham’s wonderful Manifesto for Wildlife - there is a real benefit to wildlife if we can escape the cult of tidiness. Right now, from my shed/office, I can see the wind whipped branches loosing the leaves into a short dance before settling on path a small patch of grass. I will be out later with a rake. But I will not bag the leaves up for the council to take, I will make a pile and let it rot. The vegetation is important for the hedgehogs - insulation for the hibernation nest, the hibernaculum. And also as it rots it provides a home for hedgehog food.

The insulation for hedgehogs is vital - and interestingly it is not just about keeping the hedgehogs warm, but also cool. Hibernation is an amazing adaptation to coping with winter. The metabolism shuts down to just 2% - though if the weather gets really cold they burn a little more fat to stay above freezing. However, if there is a sudden warm spell, this can trigger arousal from hibernation - and while a hedgehog can cope with a few of these moments, too many can exhaust its reserves. So it is important that the insulation keeps the hedgehog cool too!

And while on the subject of bonfires - PLEASE be considerate about fireworks ... I tweeted this recently - not just pets, but also wildlife are massively impacted by the explosions. 

As we all prepare, to some extent, for our own personal hibernation, I make one of my regular pleas … at this time of year I am usually giving 2-3 talks a week. And while I love the opportunity to share my ideas - and thrive on having a ‘real’ audience - there is a tediously practical side to them as well. I sell books. My diary has been pretty much wiped clean by the virus. I did a talk last week - it was wonderful to have an audience, all carefully spaced out.

So - if you fancy a read - please consider one (or more!) of my books. The Hedgehog Book is available from the publishers, who are giving £1 from each sale to the BHPS. A Prickly Affair, like all my books, is available from local bookshops (please, if you can) and also from those who don’t pay quite as much tax as is appropriate! 

But I can’t sign them … or maybe I can! I have a stack of bookplates - if you send me an SAE I will inscribe the bookplates as instructed and return … send your request too: Hugh Warwick, 176 Campbell Road, Oxford, OX4 3NR

Finally - a massive shout out to Katy Riddell for letting me use her very cute hedgehog image (a bit truncated on the petition, but visible fully here). Her father, Chris, is one of the most creative and perceptive illustrators we have. From children’s stories to cutting political comment, he is unstoppable. And I saw this hedgehog on his site and wrote to him asking for permission … only to find out that he has an equally talented daughter!