Help to protect dormice!

English Woodlands explain what you need to make your smallholding Dormouse friendly

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Did you know that hazel dormice are fully protected by law? These little rodents are now a Biodiversity Action Plan species (BAP). This status provides full protection and they cannot be intentionally disturbed, injured, or killed. A license is required to trap or handle a dormouse and conservation plans aim to halt or reverse the dormouse decline that has taken place over the last 100 years.

Here in the UK, hazel dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius) are found mainly in the southern half of the country and, alarmingly, their population is said to have declined by up to 70 per cent over the last 25 years. They are considered to be excellent indicators of biodiversity and their spread offers a wider picture of habitat health. Protection and improvement to dormice habitats will help to create healthier, more diverse ecosystems which will benefit a multitude of wildlife. Suitable environments for these tiny, balls of fluff are also ideal for birds, butterflies and many invertebrates that favour woodland; woodland edge; wildlife corridors, hedges and areas of scrub and thicket.

Few people have seen dormice in the wild, although most of us are familiar with the lovable dormouse who appears in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, a novel written in 1865 by Lewis Carroll. During the infamous Mad Hatter's Tea Party, Dormouse is used as a comfy cushion because he's a fluffy, sleepy creature who frequently dozes off in the middle of conversations. But is this parody of a dormouse accurate?

The Latin dormio means 'I sleep' and, indeed, dormice are said to spend up to three quarters of the year asleep. They hibernate from around October through to April and they are crepuscular, which means they are most active at dawn and dusk. Not only do they nap throughout most of the day but they are capable of entering a state known as torpor which helps them to save energy. This is useful when food is hard to find, and when the weather is chilly.