Returning from a pastry-run for croissants to accompany our morning coffee we came across this little guy! Curled up tightly right in the middle of the road. He was thankfully uninjured, but in all likelihood would not stay that way for much longer. The narrow single lane road that runs past Montegut is not busy but there is no room to steer even the tiniest of cars to miss a small animal in the road. And especially one that looks like a big dirt clod from a distance. Using a small towel we wrapped him to protect our hands and to keep him calm.
Checking in with Wikipedia this is what we learned:
Lifespan: Woodland hedgehogs: 2 – 5 years
Scientific name: Erinaceinae
Class: Mammalia
Mass: Woodland hedgehogs: 0.88 – 2.6 lbs, Desert hedgehog: 0.62 – 1.1 lbs, Daurian hedgehog: 1.3 lbs
Gestation period: Woodland hedgehogs: 30 – 40 days, Desert hedgehog: 30 – 40 days
Did you know: Hedgehogs can travel up to 3 km in search of food.
Clearly, the best place for our new garden resident was in the shade garden HEDGE! He should be ever so happy to dine on the numerous insects and snails/slugs in this garden. I for one would be thrilled if he would invite a few more friends to move in as there is lots of room with an abundance of nourishment!
Okay little one, go forth and forage.
He stayed in the protective position until we were safely out of site. Within a few short moments, our new little resident had disappeared under the canopy of overhanging branches for safety.
And if you have, thanks for reading
Au Revoir
