Managing hedges for invertebrates

Summary

Hedges are rich habitats for invertebrates, especially if managed well. Rob Wolton has recorded over 1,800 species from a single hedge in Devon, an ordinary one in the context of that county, and that was far from a full inventory. This tally of invertebrates included 60 Nationally Rare or Nationally Scarce species. But all too often hedges fall far short of their wildlife potential, especially for invertebrates, because they are not managed well. In this article Rob Wolton identifies key actions that can be taken to address this.