Remember - all posts are now duplicated onto my Substack page where there is space for conversation!

As part of Hedgehog Awareness Week, the BHPS has been releasing a series of short films that bring home the simple things we can do to help. The latest instalment of the amazing film series is up and running - yesterday I posted links to all the social media pages, but have now found that they are all going to appear on their YouTube page ... so enjoy! And thanks again to the wonderful Chris Packham for lending his voice!

It is one of those sad conversations that quite often happens after a talk - someone will come up to me with a guilty look and they will unburden their soul as they tell me of the time they found a hedgehog drowned in their pond. The great thing is that they ALWAYS want to solve the problem - we do care (well, most of us).

Yesterday lunchtime I was invited into a local school to talk about (ok, so my wife teases me about this ... I say I am about to give a talk to a WI group or a school and she goes 'oh, what about?' before giggling when I answer 'hedgehogs' in all seriousness) ... I was slightly nervous - it was not a primary - and was in fact years 7 and 8 - just at the point where sassiness can overtake innocent enjoyment of new things ...

I need not have worried. They were a great bunch and I was thrilled to get some seriously good questions ... 'do newborn hedgehogs have spines and if so 'ow'?' was one of them ... 

Newborn hoglets (yes, that is the term) do have spines ... but before you wince too much, these spines are hidden beneath oedemic skin - fluid filled skin keeps them beneath the surface.

If a hog was born without them, it would take a while to grow this (not brilliant, as they are softer than adult spines) defence. But by having them there, but just beneath the skin, means they appear as the fluid is absorbed! Brilliant!

There will be another film tomorrow! But if you want to enjoy more hedgehog material, please go to my new Substack page - yesterday I ended up in a deep discussion with someone on there - it is great to be back chatting!