Missing: hedgehogs

If you live in the country and far suburban reaches of the northeastern part of the United States, you would be treated to the fun and unique entertainment offered by hedgehogs scuffling through your property. These animals may give your dogs some grief but they are pretty much harmless and does connect your household, in a very vivid way, with the larger natural world surrounding it.

Nothing connotes the charms of living near the wild than the comforting presence of hedgehogs. Sadly, hedgehog sightings are down this year. In fact, this seeming disappearance of hedgehogs is part of a greater pattern of declining wildlife sightings.

In additon to these cuddly balls of fur, sightings of toads and frogs have dipped recently. Even if you look in the usual place these amphibians can be found, ponds and pools of water, they are missing in action. Interestingly enough, toads have gone missing despite the April showers. One theory about the seeming dip in these wildlife sightings is that the weird weather patterns this year which produced a very wet summer means that there might have a been a bumper crop of slugs and other grub for these animals, so they don't need to wander far from their homes. They normally wander into human habitation when food is scarce closer to home. Another theory is that the heavy snow and more pronounced cold spell last year caused their populations to dip. Regardless, many gardeners miss them.