The hedgehog situation grows more complex.
Tonight, our small visitor turns up for her mealworms as usual, only to be joined after about ten minutes by another, larger, hedgehog.
He is slightly lighter coloured, and a bit scruffier - designer stubble? He feeds his face briefly, before his mind turns to other things.
He begins to snuffle at 'our' hedgehog, and they begin a long slow dance around the lawn. He snuffles his way towards her back end, she backs away, and they gradually go round in a series of small spirals, orbitting around the end of her nose. She sits down firmly, making a point; he snuffles along her side, she gets up and backs away, he changes direction - is he getting dizzy by now? - they swing like a small binary star across the lawn and under the azaleas. The bushes shake. The pair emerge, rotating back across to the rockery, and back once more to the azaleas. Is she really not interested or is she merely being coy? She certainly doesn't take the opportunity to escape when he briefly backs off.
They vanish again, and the bushes tremble. It's getting hard to see what's going on, and to be honest I'm beginning to feel a little voyeuristic. Mum peers out of the back door and comes in to report that they are sitting side by side under the arch that leads to the lawn, under a rainbow of clematis. Hmm. Has she succumbed to his rough charms? No - merely a brief break in the dance - they head off in front of the garage, still circling.
It's a long slow courtship, with hedgehogs. And a very careful one.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Summer lovin' 'tis a wonderous thing!
I can just imagine the hedgehog wooing - he's whispering, "Hey baaaybeee", and she's blushing and simpering, "Ooh, I'm all flustered now..., oooh, you are awful, but I like you!"
Your writing reminds me of a book of wildlife observations I read when we were on Leader, only yours are better written.
That is one of the sweetest, funniest things I've ever read! So gentle but vivid.
Hmm, the random verification word is actually some words, this time:
upearhwc
Judith
oh that is lovely Mad! I can almost hear the male hedgehog singing that Victoria Wood song, 'Lets Do It'!
mad, you're my new beatrix potter. really, make a book of hedgehog courtship. it'll be a HOOT!
Naah - hoots is for owls..... mind you there's a whole story in owl hoots but that will have to wait for the right season!
(I zapped double-post, j!!)
Lovely stuff. Just reinforces my thing about spiky males (it's all in the approach).
"(I zapped double-post, j!!)"
madwoman, my own personal superhero. *SMOOCH*
want hoots story. :yes:
Post a Comment