The posts I reblogged today by Rachel at Ecology Escapades and Robin Jean Marie at Bringing Europe Home are helping me to get into a British frame of mind!
Rachel blogged about setting tubes for dormice to nest in. Dormice are incredibly adorable! We don’t have them in Ohio…
Pure Adorability!
Dormice are small rodents with soft, orange-brown fur and long tails of a similar colour which are furred all over. They are so adorable that many people would like to be able to watch them. Unfortunately, because they are almost entirely nocturnal this presents a challenge.
The fact that the dormouse hibernates is reflected in some of the local English names. In the counties of Hampshire and Cornwall it is known as ‘dory mouse’ and ‘dozing mouse’ respectively: in many counties it is known as the ‘sleeper’, the ‘seven sleeper’, or ‘sleep mouse’. Its attractive appearance has a fairy tale charm and other delightful local names include ‘chestle crumb’ and ‘derry mouse’.
Dormouse in the Mad Hatter’s Teapot – “Alice in Wonderland”
At present it is found in England and Wales but not in Scotland and Ireland. As noted above, they also do not favor Ohio…
There is no doubt that the dormouse is not as common as it once was. Changes in farming practices and forestry methods have been harmful to dormice. There have been changes recently and there are schemes to repopulate areas with this little beastie, of which Rachel at Ecology Escapades is a part.
Challenging the dormouse for sheer adorability is the hedgehog. Who can forget the two young hedgehogs who got lost on their way to school in The Wind in the Willows?
The non-literary hedgehogs are adorable too!
Adorable!!
In fact, hedgehogs are so adorable, they have their own Preservation Society!
Related articles
- Gardens: sharp practices to encourage hedgehogs (bfreenews.com)
- Where’s mum? Three baby hedgehogs rescued after mother abandons them behind old washing machine (dailymail.co.uk)
- are hedgehogs spikes really sharp? How much? (greenanswers.com)
- Hedgehog rescued from clay ditch (scotsman.com)
I don’t think I’ve ever seen cuter rodents. 😉
Sheer Adorability!! 🙂
I have never read “The Wind in the Willows”, sounds like one I need to put on my Kindle and read over the summer. Great post! 🙂
You MUST read it!! 🙂
Oh please do read the adventures of Mole, Ratty and Toad, and Badger too. Essential bedtime reading when I was growing up!
It makes me sad that the dormouse can legally be hunted for food in some European countries. Not just because it’s cute, but because it’s under threat. British chef Heston Blumenthal once made dormouse lollipops for one of his shows. Dormice should be left alone to slumber!
Oh, that’s dreadful!!
No one would dream of eating rodents in Ohio. So we’ve got that going for us…
So very cute, Deborah. I have actually just been rereading The Wind in the Willows this weekend, and here i find you with the hedgehogs and challenges and such. I love you sweet peas and how wonderful it is that you have such heirloom seeds from your family. I’m sure you, too, will pass seeds on to your daughter and granddaughter.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
It is a wonderful coincidence that The Wind in the Willows is on both of our minds!! 🙂
I love synchronicity!!
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very fun indeed! i copied this to a friend whose totem is the hedgehog. a major gap in my reading history is that i’ve never read the Wind in the Willows. i did, however, go on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Disneyland in the ’60s. i shall correct the oversight shortly, and feed my head.
I’m glad you liked the post!! I’ve been on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Disneyworld too (as an adult), and it’s a good preparation for reading the book. 🙂
The ride was for 11 year olds, but I was terrified by the oncoming train!! 🙂 xo Deb
I love dormice and hedgehogs – saw a hedgehog in Regent’s Park last week, they are so adorable.
I love those hedgehogs!
So cute and so literary!! 🙂
xo Deb