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daniel1501's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
4.0
shanaqui's review
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.0
Tom Moorehouse's Ghosts in the Hedgerow tries to use the whodunnit format to interrogate what might be causing the decline in hedgehog numbers seen in the UK in recent years. It does undermine the whole premise right from the get-go by explaining that the decline is only really known anecdotally: hedgehog numbers aren't really properly counted, and we rely on a bunch of estimates which aren't really comparable between decades (e.g. between hunters trying to kill hedgehogs before they became a protected species, who would specifically seek them out, and now birdwatchers who may incidentally spot hedgehogs).
Nonetheless, he makes a convincing case that their numbers are declining (which I didn't really doubt in the first place), and then trots through the suspects: road traffic, badgers, farmland bereft of hedgerows (in contrast to traditional farming), and home/garden design. None of the suspects are surprising if you've been at all awake to hedgehog ecology (which I have, as my parents have a hedgehog-friendly garden, and my garden is as well), and of course the final answer isn't surprising either: it's all of those things.
It's a fun idea for a format, but if you're already interested in hedgehogs, there isn't much new here. The exact details of how hedgehogs and badgers interact were new to me, but that was about it. However, if you don't know much about hedgehogs, other than finding them cute, then this could very well be a fun and easy way to learn more, and learn about how to make a difference to them.
To sum it up very quickly: cut holes in your fences so hedgehogs can pass through, use strimmers with caution, don't use autonomous lawnmowers, rewild your garden, put out some supplementary food for them and a bowl of water, and try to convince other people to do the same (while writing to your MP etc etc about making changes in law).
Nonetheless, he makes a convincing case that their numbers are declining (which I didn't really doubt in the first place), and then trots through the suspects: road traffic, badgers, farmland bereft of hedgerows (in contrast to traditional farming), and home/garden design. None of the suspects are surprising if you've been at all awake to hedgehog ecology (which I have, as my parents have a hedgehog-friendly garden, and my garden is as well), and of course the final answer isn't surprising either: it's all of those things.
It's a fun idea for a format, but if you're already interested in hedgehogs, there isn't much new here. The exact details of how hedgehogs and badgers interact were new to me, but that was about it. However, if you don't know much about hedgehogs, other than finding them cute, then this could very well be a fun and easy way to learn more, and learn about how to make a difference to them.
To sum it up very quickly: cut holes in your fences so hedgehogs can pass through, use strimmers with caution, don't use autonomous lawnmowers, rewild your garden, put out some supplementary food for them and a bowl of water, and try to convince other people to do the same (while writing to your MP etc etc about making changes in law).
patchworkbunny's review
4.0
The hedgehog murder mystery part is a bit silly, but overall this is a good overview of the dangers facing hedgehogs and what we can do individually to help. Tom really loves a good pun.
I think it's made me realise that we have actually rewilded a small patch of land. From a sterile gravel and concrete garden, we now have a regular hedgehog visitor (not to mention other species mentioned as in trouble in this book) and that's something to be proud of when conservation seems so doomed.
I think it's made me realise that we have actually rewilded a small patch of land. From a sterile gravel and concrete garden, we now have a regular hedgehog visitor (not to mention other species mentioned as in trouble in this book) and that's something to be proud of when conservation seems so doomed.
pookykun's review
4.0
I decided recently to re-embrace my love for hedgehogs, a sort of moment I went through when I was seven, by reading about all the ways in which we are killing them.
The main thing I learned is...hedgehogs really like hedges! (Well, duh.) They provide shelter, warmth, and safe travelways. And for various reasons, we have removed massive swathes of hedgerows across the UK, leaving hedgehogs to try and survive in arid farmland, or else in urban areas, utilising gardens that are too often hard to get into, sometimes manicured to the point of uselessness, and also littered with potential hazards.
If I had a garden, I would make it a wildlife paradise and that would make me feel better about the state of things. However, as it is, I am depressed, and spend most of my time shuffling to and fro like a zombie--decaying, I suspect, intellectually and emotionally. Wait, what was I talking about? Gardens? Aah. I don't have one.
Moorhouse enjoyed hedgehogs being killed by traffic a little too much for my tastes, being at his most playful in his language when observing roadkill. It is fascinating and obscene. Apart from that (and from the narrative framing of various different factors being the True Hedgehog Murderer, personified and questioned by a golden-age style detective, which I'm sure some find useful but I just found distracting), it was a strong book that got better as it went on. I would recommend it to those interested in hedgehogs and/or ecological conservation in the UK and Europe.
"Hedgehogs...are fantastically adaptable, and within living memory were busily delighting people almost everywhere. When species like that begin to suffer, we absolutely must take notice. Because the causes can only be systemic, pervasive and severe."
The main thing I learned is...hedgehogs really like hedges! (Well, duh.) They provide shelter, warmth, and safe travelways. And for various reasons, we have removed massive swathes of hedgerows across the UK, leaving hedgehogs to try and survive in arid farmland, or else in urban areas, utilising gardens that are too often hard to get into, sometimes manicured to the point of uselessness, and also littered with potential hazards.
If I had a garden, I would make it a wildlife paradise and that would make me feel better about the state of things. However, as it is, I am depressed, and spend most of my time shuffling to and fro like a zombie--decaying, I suspect, intellectually and emotionally. Wait, what was I talking about? Gardens? Aah. I don't have one.
Moorhouse enjoyed hedgehogs being killed by traffic a little too much for my tastes, being at his most playful in his language when observing roadkill. It is fascinating and obscene. Apart from that (and from the narrative framing of various different factors being the True Hedgehog Murderer, personified and questioned by a golden-age style detective, which I'm sure some find useful but I just found distracting), it was a strong book that got better as it went on. I would recommend it to those interested in hedgehogs and/or ecological conservation in the UK and Europe.
"Hedgehogs...are fantastically adaptable, and within living memory were busily delighting people almost everywhere. When species like that begin to suffer, we absolutely must take notice. Because the causes can only be systemic, pervasive and severe."
oceanxbluess's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
5.0
Calling all nature-loving, Agatha Christie fans
Have you ever wondered who, or what, is responsible for the decline of Hedgehogs? Or how you can play your part in helping our prickly little friends? Or how Britain’s favourite mammal could even be in decline in the first place?
Well, look no further...
Ghosts In The Hedgerow is a ‘Hedgehog Whodunnit’ - an investigation into why these egg-munching, slug-eating, power-walking bundles of spines are disappearing.
With the help of a Poirot-esque detective & a library full of finger-pointing suspects, Tom Moorhouse explores the issues that are threatening Hedgehogs; from electric fences & robotic lawnmowers to slug pellets & the Royal Mail’s rubber bands.
But with so many suspects, who’s to blame? The farmer? The driver? The badger? Or perhaps the gardener?
Find out in this entertaining, witty & emotional murder mystery, filled with all the gasp-worthy plot twists of an Agatha Christie novel
It’s Hedgehog Awareness Week, so I thought it was the perfect time to finally share my review of this brilliantly clever book. Ghosts In The Hedgerow was one of my favourite reads of last year and Tom Moorhouse is now one of my auto-read authors – I loved Elegy For A River
From Water Voles to Hedgehogs, Moorhouse is a breath of fresh air when it comes to nature writing. With humorous footnotes and unfiltered transparency about the conservation sector alongside his clever and engaging writing, makes for some of the most accessible books available on science & nature.
This is a must-read for all nature-loving bookworms, and an important call to action to come together and save one of the many icons of British wildlife.
tragicromancer's review
funny
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.0
A cleverly-written journey into the plight of the poor hedgehog in the United Kingdom. Their very nature makes it difficult to come to any real conclusions, but the hope is that in addressing a great many culprits, the aggregate affect may help the little pincushions survive into the future.
kathryn_mcb's review
I put it down one day then let it sit and didn’t get into the momentum to pick it up again so returned to library