Yorkshire coast heatwave could bring boost to soon-to-be hibernating hedgehogs and dormice

With temperatures getting higher than the average for this time of year, the Woodland Trust's ‘Nature's Calendar’ Team said whilst “unusual”, the short warm spell at this time of the year may not be bad news for wildlife.October is an important time for the likes of hedgehogs, whose populations are widely known to be dwindling.

“It looks like a rather short span of warmth so not long enough to confuse plants and animals.

“Rather more positively, it may give a little bit more time for those animals that are set to hibernate like hedgehogs to find their prey. Hedgehogs feast on worms, beetles and other insects, all of which will remain active for longer in the milder weather. Dormice can stock up on a bigger abundance of berries and nuts. It may also extend the active butterfly season for species like red admiral.

“Of course, if this sort of weather pattern was hitting us in December it would be much worse news with animals coming back out of hibernation prematurely.”

Visit https://naturescalendar.woodlandtrust.org.uk/ for more information.