Best Wildlife Gifts For Mother's Day

By Della Lewandowski

Mother’s Day is approaching (March 22nd), which means it’s time to start looking for that perfect gift. But what can you buy to say thank you to the most important woman in your life? To make things a little easier, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favourite wildlife gifts to give you some inspiration. 

Creature Candy - Set of 6 Botanical Coasters £20

This set of melamine coasters features hand drawn designs of some of Britain’s declining wildflowers. Designs include cornflower, devil’s-bit scabious, chamomile, snake’s-head fritillary, cowslip and pyramidal orchid.

The set includes one of each design, however you can choose your own combination by emailing us with your choice once your order has been placed!

To make things even better, 10% of the purchase price will be donated to Plantlife.

Big Wild Thought – Badger Tote Bag - £12

Available in four different colours, it’s hard to go wrong with this minimalistic tote bag!

This bag boasts a beautiful embroidered badger, however other designs are available, such as bats, dolphins and foxes.

For every sale of this tote bag, 10% of the retail cost will go to the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust.

Green&Blue – Birdball Belle Bird Feeder - £29

The Belle bird feeder is the perfect way to feed smaller garden birds such as tits, sparrows, nuthatches and finches.

The design prevents damage to birds’ feet and beaks that can happen with mesh or wire, as well as deterring larger birds and squirrels from stealing the food.

This bird feeder is easy to clean, easy to refill and completely weather proof, making it the perfect gift for garden and nature lovers!

Available in six colours.

Bumble Magazine – 1 Issue £7

Bumble is a volunteer-run, biannual magazine all about nature in the UK. They focus predominantly on declining species, giving advice on how we can all do our bit to help.

This simple, straightforward publication offers a chance for readers of all ages to engage with nature, whilst educating them on the importance of the natural world.

From experienced ecologists to those with an interest in how nature is portrayed in art, there’s something in here for everyone!

Wildcare – Bee & Bug Biome - £24.70

This attractive bee and bug habitat provides a home for solitary bees, ladybirds and other beneficial insects.

The tasteful design is constructed from durable natural FSC timber and painted with water-based paints.

Not only does it look good in your garden, it’s great for nature!

Summer Lane Studio – Birth Flower Personalised Family Print - from £25

Summer Lane Studio creates pretty bouquets using the birth flowers for each members of a family, producing a unique combination for your family. Like birthstones, each month has it’s own birth flower.

Printed on 100% recycled card 300gsm thick to give a vintage-inspired look and feel.

Summer Lane Studio are proud supporters of World Land Trust’s ‘Plant a Tree’ project in tropical forest in Borneo.

Seedball – Mum’s Meadow - £6

Help her make her garden more wildlife-friendly with the limited edition design wildflower tin!

The mix is based on the Plantlife Mix, which includes five native wildflowers that are most likely to thrive in the nutrient rich soils commonly found in gardens.

Proceeds from the sale of every tin go directly to supporting Plantlife’s new nature reserve – Greena Moor in Cornwall.

We've Made Another Donation to the Bat Conservation Trust

Baby lesser horseshoe bat by Dan Whitby

Thanks to your support, we have just made another donation to the Bat Conservation Trust of over £300! This money will be used to fund the National Bat Helpline, which receives over 14,000 enquiries each year from building and planning professionals, householders with bat roost questions, and members of the public who have found injured and grounded bats.

As a result, thousands of bats and their roosts are conserved. The Helpline relies on the hard work and dedication of hundreds of volunteers. This includes bat carers who rehabilitate injured bats, roost visitors who help homeowners with bat roosts and volunteers that answer phones on the Out of Hours Helpline in the summer.

Thank you everyone for buying our bat products and helping us look after our wonderful bats!

If you’d like to volunteer for the bat helpline you can find more information here.

SHOP BATS

How Do Animals Find Love? Or Do They?

By Della Lewandowski

The arrival of Valentine’s Day last week brought big romantic gestures and tokens of love for many of us. From grand rose bouquets to trays of sickly heart-shaped chocolates, there are numerous ways in which humans portray their love for one another. But in nature it’s not about finding love, the aim is to discover a mate that is one of the best examples of the species to create the next generation with. 

In order to attract a mate, courtship displays are often carried out (usually by a male) to show off to potential partners in the hope of getting selected. The variation of displays between species varies significantly, from elegant songs and dances, to fighting other potential mates. Here are some examples of courtship rituals in nature:

Woodpeckers

Pileated woodpecker - native to North America.

There is variation in displays between different woodpecker species, however there are two main methods they use:

Drumming – Unlike other birds, woodpeckers do not have a distinctive mating song, instead their drumming is a handy way of communicating. They rapidly tap their beaks against objects to create sound that resonates for long distances, which is recognised by other woodpeckers by its pattern and tempo.

Display flights and dances – A common method used in nature. In pileated woodpeckers (native to North America), both individuals throw back their heads and pointing their bills in the air. They then strike a pose in which they hold for a few seconds, hop to the side and repeat.

Watch it here.

Hedgehogs

Hedgehog breeding season begins in May, and can be recognised by strange noises coming from the undergrowth in your garden! In their courtship ritual, boars will repeatedly circle the sow, initially often reacting aggressively. She makes loud rhythmic snorting and puffing sounds, as well as erecting her spines. The noise can attract other males to the area, which then interrupt the display. This causes a fight between the males, head-butting and chasing one another to assert their dominance. The ritual of circling can last for hours, allowing the sow to get a good idea of the fitness of the male. If she is impressed, she will then flatten her spines to prevent injuring the male during mating. No pair bonding behaviour has been witnessed in hedgehogs, boars will leave the doe to rear the young alone and she can go on to mate with other partners. 

Watch them here.

Brown Hares

Photo by Kevin Sawford via Suffolk Mag.

Brown hares are often referred to as ‘mad March hares’, as they can be found frantically boxing one another. It gives the appearance of two competing males fighting, but in fact this occurs when females are attempting to escape unwanted advances from males. As females come into season at this time of year, males seek them out and chase them, before the female gets tired of it and challenges him to a boxing match!

Watch them here.

Hen Harrier

Photo by Graham Catley via Pinterest.

When attempting to attract a female mate, male hen harriers perform an impressive display known as ‘skydancing’. Once a suitable candidate is spotted, the male repeatedly flies steeply upwards, somersaults at the peak and falls rapidly to exhibit his aerial abilities. If successful in this, both individuals will collect materials to begin building a nest for the next generation. 

Watch this spectacle here.

SHOP

February Competition & New Partners!

For February we have teamed up with Bumble Magazine, a volunteer-run, biannual magazine all about nature. They focus on wildlife around the UK, predominantly endangered species, offering advice on how everyone can do their bit to help. 

Their publications are beautifully presented, as well as being simple and straightforward, aiming to educate and inspire readers of all ages. Whether you’re an experienced ecologist or want to learn a bit more about the wonderful wildlife around you, there’s something in here for everyone!

Giveaway!

To celebrate we are running a giveaway, including an A4 bee print and bee notebook from Creature Candy, and a copy of Bumble magazine.

To be in with a chance of winning, all you need to do is:

• Sign up to the Creature Candy mailing list

• Like Bumble on Facebook or Instagram

A winner will be randomly selected at the beginning of March. 

Good luck!

January Partnership & Red Squirrels

By Della Lewandowski

During January, our focus here at Creature Candy was on red squirrels. We have been celebrating our new partnership with Lunn Learning, and of course Red Squirrel Appreciation Day on Tuesday 21st January! Red squirrels are the only squirrel species native to the UK, but they have now disappeared from much of it. Their decline is regarded as one of the most drastic in the UK, with warnings suggesting they could become extinct in England within the next 10 years, therefore it’s always a good time to raise awareness for them!

Red squirrels sightings are more prevalent in the autumn, when they are busy collecting food to create a cache underground or in tree cavities for the winter. Source: woodlandtrust.org.uk

Lunn Learning

The aim of Lunn Learning is simple – to educate children about nature, wildlife and conservation, with the aim of reconnecting them with the outdoors. Owner Fiona Lunn writes fictional stories based on facts to make learning an enjoyable and entertaining experience. Her stories are delivered in the form of books, play scripts, audiobooks and storytelling. 

Lunn Learning has pledged that all profits will be donated to various children’s and wildlife charities in the British Isles.

Red Squirrels

Red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) are known for their striking orange-red fur, but their colouration can in fact be quite variable; from bright ginger to dark brown. Their fur can slightly change in winter, becoming tinged with grey and ear tufts developing.

The prominent difference between red and grey squirrels is, of course, their fur colour. But there is in fact more colour overlap than some people may think. Grey squirrels never have ear tufts and are considerably larger than their auburn counterparts (greys weigh around 500g, reds 300g). The large, bushy tails of red squirrels are exclusively one colour, whereas grey squirrels can exhibit numerous.  

Where to Find Them

As their diet mainly consists of seeds and nuts red squirrels need trees to survive. They favour mixed broadleaf and coniferous woodlands, as pine seeds are still present over the winter months. If you want to spot one then look up, as they spend most of their time at the top of the canopy and visit the ground much less than grey squirrels do! Autumn is the best time to see them, as they are busy collecting food to create a cache underground for the winter months.

They were once a common sight across the UK, but have now retreated to Scotland, areas of northern England and Wales, and small islands off the south coast of England. 

Threats

The rapid decline of red squirrels has been attributed to the introduction of grey squirrels. There have been several introductions in different areas of the UK, the first dating back as far as 1828 near Denbighshire in north Wales. They originate from oak-hickory woodlands in eastern US, co-existing with the American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus douglasi). 

Co-existing is not as easy with Eurasian red squirrels, as they outcompete them in their habitats. Greys are also carriers of squirrelpox virus and often remain asymptomatic, whereas infected reds usually die. 

Red Squirrel Survival Trust

The Red Squirrel Survival Trust (RSST) is a charity that works on the conservation and protection of red squirrels in the UK. 

Their aims: 

• Protect red squirrels by keeping them apart from grey squirrels. 

• Secure the environment in which red squirrels can thrive by protecting the biodiversity of Britain’s native woodlands. 

• Assist the winning reds in areas where their numbers have increased or stabilised. 

• Establish new red colonies across the UK wherever feasible. 

• Fund research on how to secure the red squirrels long-term future. 

• Raise awareness of the plight of reds in the UK. 

We donate 10% of the sale price of each product featuring a red squirrel to the RSST. This means you will help fund the vital work this charity carries out to increase and stabilise their numbers in the UK. 

Shop Red Squirrel Gifts

Meet Our New Marketing Manager

We have started 2020 on a high by welcoming our newest team member Della, who will be managing our marketing. We are delighted to have Della as part of the team, and started by asking her few questions about her love of wildlife.

Della Lewandowski - Creature Candy Marketing Manager

As the newest member of the Creature Candy team, allow me to introduce myself;

My name is Della Lewandowski, and as the new Marketing Manager you’ll be hearing a lot more from me! So here’s a bit about myself and what I’m interested in:

Tell us a little bit about yourself, including your hobbies?

I studied Biology at Bangor University until 2018. I enjoy all aspects of science; I studied modules ranging from Medical Microbiology to Forest Ecosystems. I’m particularly interested in plants, especially the more unique carnivorous plants. The complexity of the mechanisms they use to trap and digest insects intrigued me enough to write my dissertation about them! My collection is predominantly composed of Sarracenia (trumpet pitchers) and Dionaea (Venus flytraps). As these plants can be more difficult to take care of than typical houseplants (they don’t like to drink tap water), it’s rewarding for me to watch them flourish.

When did you first become interested in nature and ecology? 

The moment I really became interested in nature was the first time I saw a bat. They frequently graced the skies around my home when I was a child, and I was completed fascinated watching them zooming around. I spent a lot of my time outside searching for insects. I’d be covered from head-to-toe in mud after digging for worms and climbing in bushes all day (sorry mum!). As I got older I developed an interest in butterflies. I’ve had my own Painted Lady caterpillars to look after, and I absolutely love visiting butterfly farms.

What is your favourite British wild animal? 

Bats are still my favourite; I still get incredibly excited when I spot them flying around! However I do also love foxes, they are incredibly cute. Sometimes I hear them in the night and spot them running around the street.

What do you love about Creature Candy and what are you most looking forward to? 

My favourite thing about Creature Candy is the beautiful designs used on their products. The way they look appeals to a wider audience than perhaps just those in the nature and ecology industries, with a small description that gives it more meaning. Also I am impressed at the amount of money raised so far to protect our wonder wildlife!

I’m really excited to go to my first events to sell products and meet our customers. It gives me an opportunity to work closer with Lizzie and learn more from the expert herself.

What is your favourite Creature Candy design? 

It’s a toss up between either the Brown Long-eared Bat, or the Snake’s-head Fritillary from the new botanical prints. I’ve had the bat design on a mug for a while now and I use it all the time. Fritillaria meleagris is my all-time favourite flower, I love how pretty and unique they are!

Thank you Della, we wish you lots of luck.

Lizzie x

Return of the Fieldfares & Redwings

By Della Lewandowski

As the warm breeze of summer changes into the chilling winds of autumn, the landscape around us begins to transform. Lush green foliage becomes crunchy leaf litter, hedgerows are packed with berries, and nuts and seeds ripen. As the weeks pass, the wildlife takes full advantage of these seasonal treats.  

This time of year welcomes the arrival of fieldfares and redwings. These thrushes gather along the coasts of Scandinavia and northern Europe in autumn to begin their long and risky flight to the UK, ready to feast on delicious berries!

Identification

People often mistake these birds for one another, as they can be found in flocks together foraging for food. To avoid this, there are a few major distinctions between the two; redwings have beautiful red flank patches (hence the name) and a creamy-white strip above the eye, whereas fieldfares are larger and have a yellow breast with black streaks.

Left: The Redwing (Turdus iliacus) is easily recognised by its red underwing patches and cream strip above the eye. Right: The Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris), larger than Redwings and have brown backs, yellow breast and black streaks.  Source: rspb.org.uk

Threats

With the onset of winter, berries become limited. This is when they begin to move out to more open areas in search of other food sources. Sightings during this time sharply increase, as they like to visit fields, orchards and even gardens in harsher winters to hunt for earthworms.

Currently in the UK both redwings and fieldfares are classed as Red List species, protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Some of the threats include habitat fragmentation, a lack of food in winter and climate change.

Do your bit!

The Woodland Trust collects records each year from the public about their first sightings of a range of species, in a campaign called Nature’s Calendar. This is a brilliant and simple way that everyone can help preserve the UK’s precious wildlife! Being able to track changes that are occurring can lead to informed decisions being made on what the biggest threats are and what to do next. 

From what has already been collected, scientists have concluded warmer temperatures and a later onset of winter is causing redwings and fieldfares to come to the UK later.

If you would like to get involved, visit naturescalendar.woodlandtrust.org.uk

Have you seen redwings or fieldfares in your garden yet? We’d love to know and find out exactly where in the country they are gathering.

Help Us Raise Funds for the BTO

We donate 10% of the sale price of all our puffin and lesser spotted woodpecker ranges to the BTO. Here are some of the products in our bird range:

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WIN Creature Candy & Summer Lane Studio Gifts During November

For November, we've teamed up with Summer Lane Studio to offer you the chance to win a Creature Candy bee mug and notebook, and a Summer Lane Studio “Wish Upon a Flower” plantable wish gift. The flower gift set contains up to four personalised plantable cards for wishes, encouragement or your own message.

All you need to do is:

1. Sign up to the Creature Candy mailing list and…..

2. Follow Summer Lane Studio on Instagram

One lucky winner will be chosen at random ‪on 1st December‬.

Links to mailing lists / instagram can be found here:

https://www.creaturecandy.co.uk/sign-up

https://www.instagram.com/summerlanest/

Good Luck!

WIN Creature Candy & Big Wild Thought Bat Goodies Worth £59!

There is now another great reason why you should sign up to our mailing list. Every month, we are teaming up with brilliant, like minded businesses who’s aim is to make a difference to wildlife. Each month, we will be picking one lucky winner from our mailing list to win a prize bundle from Creature Candy and from another great wildlife focused business. 

This month we have teamed up with Big Wild Thought, a Sheffield based team who have created a brand that allows people to wear and care at the same time. Their clothing and accessory ranges raise awareness of animal conservation and 10% of all sale prices is donated to relevant wildlife charities - just like Creature Candy! 

All you have to do is sign up to both the Creature Candy and Big Wild Thought mailing lists to be in with a chance of winning a Creature Candy bat mug, bat notebook & a Big Wild Thought bat t-shirt and accessory bag, all worth £59!

The lucky winner will be announced on Friday 1st November, when we will also be revealing who we have teamed up with for November. 

Thanks for supporting us and Big Wild Thought, and good luck! 

Link to mailing lists is below:

https://www.creaturecandy.co.uk/sign-up

https://www.bigwildthought.co.uk/

Holiday Time!

Our Donations Are Helping Hedgehogs, Dormice and Hares

Creature Candy has just donated over £300 to the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, as a result of our customers and stockists support. On behalf of PTES we’d like to say a big thank you, as this money goes towards important research and conservation efforts to help stop the decline of many of our wild animals.

Creature Candy donates 10% of every sale of its hedgehog, dormouse and mountain hare products to PTES, so we’d like to tell you more about why this money is important and how it is used.

Hedgehogs

Image from PTES Website.

The Problem!

The hedgehog population is rapidly declining. A few years ago, the PTES mammal surveys revealed that since 2000, hedgehogs in Britain were declining at the same rate as tigers worldwide. In our countryside hedgehogs are losing precious hedgerows, field margins and woodlands. Intensive farming methods and pesticides used destroy hedgehogs’ natural habitat and kill off the insects they eat. In cities and towns gardens are increasingly fenced off and driveways paved over - hedgehogs struggle to get from garden to garden to find food and mates, and face increasingly busy and dangerous roads.

The Solution!

PTES are carrying out lots of research, practical action and raising awareness to help hedgehogs. They run Hedgehog Street, with the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, which encourages the public to become hedgehog champions, make hedgehog holes in their gardens and create hedgehog friendly neighbourhoods. They now have over 60,000 hedgehog champions.

PTES are carrying out research to understand the decline of both urban and rural hedgehogs. They are looking at new ways to survey hedgehogs, seeing if they use road tunnels to cross roads, what their relationship is with badgers, how farming and farming practices are affecting them, and which hedgehog houses they might prefer. They are also working with farmers so they can make their land more hedgehog friendly, and working with developers to encourage them to make new housing developments more friendly for hedgehogs.

Find out more about hedgehog research here.

Hazel Dormice

Image from PTES Website -Credit Jamie Edmonds

The Problem!

Hazel dormice were once common, but now they’re hanging on mostly in the southern parts of England and Wales. But changes in woodland management, farming practices, loss of hedgerows and the fragmentation of woodland have all taken a heavy toll on their living space.

The Solution!

The PTES dormouse campaign has three main elements:

1. Their nationwide monitoring scheme keeps a close eye on how dormice are doing. They have over 25 years of records painstakingly collected by hundreds of volunteer monitors that guide our actions to save dormice.

2. Their reintroduction programme has so far covered 12 counties at 22 sites. They have reintroduced over 900 dormice over the years back to areas where they had become extinct. They regularly check how they are faring and how far they’ve spread and advise on dormouse-friendly land management.

3. It is so important to manage woodlands and hedgerows appropriately, so PTES provide training and guides for woodland managers and others looking after the land.
   

Mountain Hares

Image from PTES website - Caught in broad daylight: a rare photograph of a mountain hare found at its favourite night haunt: heather burn.

The Problem!

The Peak District mountain hares depend on healthy moorland: thriving on a diet of heather and grasses and seeking cover amongst deeper vegetation and rocks. They live in an isolated vulnerable population. Direct threats to them include heavy traffic on several major trunk roads, hunting and persecution. The busy road system that bisects the moors may act as a barrier to dispersal and small scale gene flow. Climate change is also a threat - increasing fire risk; wetter autumns can create feeding and shelter challenges for young leverets; severe winters can bring about a thaw-freeze, where a layer of snow can freeze solid, making it difficult for a hare to dig through to find food.

The Solution!

PTES are establishing an in-depth study to understand the sustainability of the present group of mountain hares in the Peak District. It’s hard to estimate the numbers of hares: they tend to lie low under deep vegetation. So they are assembling a new, novel combination of techniques, including line transect observational surveys, deployment of remote cameras and a drone camera. These methods also provide a good opportunity to evaluate hare and habitat associations and the effects of human infrastructure.

Genetic material will be obtained either from material such as dung samples or carcasses. This data will then be used to construct demographic models (including for example hare hotspot maps) for investigating how the mountain hare population may respond to changes in land-use, levels of persecution, interaction with brown hares, and also considering different climate change scenarios within the Park. The results of these demographic models will help to provide advice on protecting the existing present population, whilst identifying which are the most important population parameters to be prioritised for future hare reintroductions and population supplementations.

Shop with us and help save hedgehogs, dormice and mountain hares.

Why Do Hares Box?

Mountain hare - by Creature Candy

At this time of year, hares are famous for their tendency to ‘box’ frantically with one another. Hares do this because they are now in mating season, with the males (bucks) seeking out any females (does) that have come into season.

The boxing usually occurs when a male is being too persistent with a female, chasing her across fields in an attempt to mate. When she’s had enough, she’ll turn around and try to fend him off in a fierce boxing match!

Find out more about hares below:

Once a common sight, it is thought that brown hares in the UK have decreased by up to 80% in the last century, largely due to loss of habitat, hunting and changes in agricultural practices.

The mountain hare (pictured above) is the UK’s only native hare and was listed as “Near Threatened” in a recent review by the Mammal Society indicating that the species is of conservation concern in the UK. Mountain hare numbers on moorlands in the eastern Highlands have declined to less than one per cent of their initial levels, according to a newly published long-term scientific study.

These numbers are horrifying and it is vital that we do all we can to help protect our hares.

By purchasing any of our products featuring a mountain hare, you will be contributing to the important conservation efforts to help stop the decline of these beautiful mammals.

We donate 10% of the sale price of mountain hare products to the People’s Trust for Endangered Species. Take a look at our Mountain Hare product range below:

Free Moth Mug

Bag will automatically be added to you order and £2 from each sale will be donated to the children’s charity Greenfingers.

Supporting The National Bat Helpline

National Bat Helpline Volunteer - Photo taken from Bat Conservation Trust Website.

It’s the end of another year and we are delighted to announce we have just donated over £300 to the Bat Conservation Trust. This money will be used to help fund the National Bat Helpline, which relies on the hard work and dedication of hundreds of volunteers. This includes bat carers who rehabilitate injured bats, roost visitors who help homeowners with bat roosts and volunteers that answer phones on the Out Of Hours (OOH) helpline in the summer.

During 2017, 14,981 enquiries were received by the Helpline in total by phone, email and post. 2337 of these enquiries came through the OOH service. As a result of the help provided via the helpline, thousands of bats and their roosts are conserved each year.

The service is available to anyone who is interested in or concerned about bats. The Helpline can be reached on 0345 1300 228 or via email between 9.00am and 5.30pm on weekdays all year round, with an OOH service provided during the summer by trained volunteers.

We are very proud to be able to help fund such a wonderful charity and play an important role in bat conservation in the UK. Without our customers support this would not be possible, so to you we say a big THANK YOU!

Photos above - brown long-eared bat and common pipistrelle bat, taken from Bat Conservation Trust website.

You can help support the BCT by purchasing some of our bat gifts. We donate 10% of every sale to the BCT.

Order for Christmas 2018 before its too late!

It's Hedgehog Awareness Week!

Image: www.hedgehogstreet.org

This week is hedgehog awareness week, so if you are wondering how you can help hedgehogs, check out these top ten tips on what you can do to help hedgehogs in your garden here. You can also spread the word on social media using #hedgehogweek

Why not help raise funds for hedgehog conservation by purchasing one of our hedgehog products? We donate 10% of all our hedgehog products to the People's Trust for Endangered Species. 

A Few Hedgehog Facts:

• The most important invertebrates in their diet are worms, beetles, slugs, caterpillars, earwigs and millipedes.

• Reproduction occurs any time between April and September, but the period of greatest activity, ‘the rut’, occurs in May and June in Britain.

• The average litter size of four or five young, of which two or three are usually weaned successfully.

• As the name suggests they are often found near hedgerows, which provide ideal locations for nest sites, a good supply of invertebrates on which they feed, protection from predators and important movement corridors.

• During hibernation hedgehogs are not really asleep, instead they drop their body temperature to match their surroundings and enter a state of torpor.

• Hedgehogs usually hibernate from October/November through to March/April.

• Badgers are the principal natural predator of hedgehogs in the UK, as they are the only creature strong enough to overcome the spiny defences. 

• We appear to have lost around 30% of the population since 2002 and therefore it seems likely that there are now fewer than a million hedgehogs left in the UK.

• Hedgehogs now appear to be declining in the UK at the same rate as tigers are globally – at around 5% a year, both in rural and urban habitats.

Shop Hedgehog Products:

Visit The Old Rectory Gardens, Northamptonshire

If you live in or near Kettering in Northamptonshire, I urge you to drop into The Old Rectory Gardens, in Sudborough, Kettering. With beautiful gardens to walk round, events, plants to buy, delicious homemade cakes, teas, coffees and a hand picked selection of garden themed goodies to buy within The Old Potting Shed, you are guaranteed a very enjoyable and peaceful day out. We proudly supply a selection of Creature Candy products to The Old Rectory Gardens, and you can buy these in The Old Potting Shed. 

For the first time ever, the gardens are open to the public every Tuesday and Thursday between April and the end of September from 12-4.30pm. So why not pop over and receive a very warm welcome from The Old Rectory Team. We are set to have some lovely weather over the bank holiday so this is a perfect way to spend an afternoon. 

The Gardens

Reflecting its Georgian heritage, The Gardens complement the elegance of The Old Rectory itself and have been developed over many years by each of its owners. Included within the gardens are a pretty walled Potager, designed by Rosemary Verey, full of formal symmetry and bursting with seasonal vegetables, flowers and fruit. This leads on to a Twisted Hazel Spring Garden, where water gently flows over an old copper bowl. Framing the main lawn are 3 deep borders and a gravel garden, each bursting with some rare and unusual shrubs, plus a variety of annuals for colour across the seasons. Close to fifty varieties of roses, complimented by sweet- smelling, in winter, low hedges of Sarcococca confusa, can fill the air with scent. The whole setting is punctuated by stunning trees, including Prunus maackii, Amber Beauty and a veteran False Acacia. All providing a feast for the senses.

Travelling past the pond and across the brook towards the woodland, the gardens gradually blend into nature. Here you are welcome to reflect and be tranquil, eventually wandering back, through the Potager into the Yellow Garden, where tea and homemade cakes are served from The Old Potting Shed.

The Old Rectory Gardens is not only for keen gardeners but for those seeking space and peace. It is a place to sit in and be still. Why not stop and listen to the birds, whilst relaxing on the swing seat by the brook? You may even catch a glimpse of the Kingfisher, darting down the stream or the white streak of an Egret fishing in the Lily pond!

You can find out more about the gardens and their list of events here. 

The Old Rectory
Main Street
Sudborough
Kettering
Northampton NN14 3BX

01832 734085
contact@theoldrectorygardens.co.uk

www.theoldrectorygardens.co.uk

The Perfect Accessory For Spring & Mothers Day

Our new tote bags are the perfect accessory for Spring and make a great Mothers Day gift too. 10% of the purchase price of these bags will be donated to the children's charity Greenfingers - a charity that creates gardens for children in hospices.