Page 106 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #05

YOUR FEEDBACK

Accessible wildlife
I read Bo Beolens’ article WHAT ARE YOUR WILDLIFE We asked BBC Wildlife readers
(Wildlife For All, January 2018) GARDENING TIPS? to send us their best advice on
with special interest, as over the how to help nature.
last five years my health and
fitness has deteriorated badly JANET PACKHAM PRIYA AGARWAL
due to illness. I do not use a After you have brushed your dog Leave a corner of your garden
wheelchair but I cannot walk far leave the hair out for birds to untouched to encourage wildlife
before needing to rest. So I have collect as nest material (below). to thrive and give your garden
not been to nature reserves, b
birds privacy – allow them to
thinking I would not manage feel safe by staying away from
f
to get further than the car park. their feeding stations.
t
His suggestion of benches
every 75–100 yards sound a very NICK TEW
good solution. Watching the Make a small raised bank out of
birds and other wildlife in my e earth and scatter it with wildflower
garden has been a lifeline while seeds.This slope will be drier and
s
I was ill, and I look forward to w
warmer than its surroundings and
interesting times this spring. w SOPHIE BOXALL
will provide food for solitary bees.
Carole Bailey, Fyfield Put up nestboxes (above) for
@LAZYCUTTLEFISH breeding birds and bug hotels for
Feeding hedgehogs Let ivy grow – when it blooms invertebrates.Add wildlife-friendly
One thing that jumped out EMMA MAGEE in autumn,bees and plants and avoid plastic pots.
at me in your last issue was Don’t forget night butterflies will visit.
your article on hedgehogs. I flowering plants In early spring, ALISON CRAVEN
offer food, water and housing attract moths, birds will come for Last year I planted honeywort,
to quite a large number of especially the berries.Last which flowered twice and
hedgehogs. I also volunteer crepuscular year,I even saw a reseeded itself.It’s a very hardy
with our local rescue centre. and nocturnal blackbird build plant and very pretty,plus the
The one thing that concerned species (right). a nest in it. bees love it!
me was seeing an image of
two hedgehogs feeding from
a huge tray of mealworms!
Mealworms, if eaten as grandchildren, a motivation There is no evidence that a condition called prosopagnosia,
anything more than an odd that cannot be criticised. feeding hedgehogs in gardens or face-blindness, which is the
little treat, cause metabolic BBC Wildlife is usually very leads to undue pressure on stag inability to recognise faces.
bone disease. Feeding too many good at promoting the concept beetles or any other species, Some people with prosopagnosia
mealworms is actually a lot of ecological balance in its populations of which are cannot recognise facial
worse than not feeding at all. articles, but all the more reason impacted in complex ways by expressions, such as a smile or
I only hope readers don’t start to be careful with advice on the many factors. For more useful raised eyebrow. Studies suggest
offering piles of mealworms. provision of extra food. advice on how to help hedgehogs, about 1 in 50 people may have
Brian Gort, via email Richard Clifford, via email go to www.hedgehogstreet.org. some form of developmental
prosopagnosia. I think the
I must take issue with the Features editor Ben Hoare Expressing emotions article could have included
aspect of Hugh Warwick’s replies: There is concern that I read the primate expressions something about any studies
article (Hogs on the up!, April feeding excess mealworms may article with great interest that have explored if and how
2018) where he is encouraging cause metabolic bone disease in (Express Yourself, March prosopagnisia can affect animals.
readers to offer supplementary hedgehogs, but only anecdotal 2018). The photographs really Nathan Davies, via Facebook
food to hedgehogs. Such extra evidence: no link has been proven helped to show the different
food inevitably tends towards in a scientific study. Mealworms emotions that facial expressions Features Editor Ben Hoare
subsidising an artificially high are a natural, healthy and valuable can depict. However, I think replies: I’m not aware of studies
population of these predators food for wildlife. But to be on the that it overlooked something of prosopagnosia in animals, but
to the detriment of population safe side, the British Hedgehog important. Some humans have imagine this neurological condition
levels of their natural prey Preservation Society w
would be difficult to test. However,
items, which may include robin now recommends t here has been some fascinating
nestlings, amphibians and stag feeding these r esearch into how other species
beetles. Extra food will also tend omnivores a variety of p perceive the world. For example,
to encourage foxes and rats (also a foods, ideally including by studying the eye structure
b
problem for stag beetle colonies). wet cat or dog food. If of cats, dogs and birds we can
o
Although I do not feed the you offer mealworms, understand the number and types
u
resident hedgehogs, various do so as a treat – as o of colours they are able to see.
neighbours over the years have, indeed the ‘hedgehog
generally in order to show these champions’ in our Like us, wild QUIZ ANSWERS (see p113)
animals to their children or photos prefer to do. primates show TheWildWordsare: 1C, 2C,3C, 4B, 5A, 6C
many emotions.
106 BBC Wildlife Spring 2018