Wildlife in hedgerows suffers when next to roads or pavements

A citizen science study has revealed that being next to just one hard surface reduces the diversity of plants and animals in hedgerows. The UK-wide study asked volunteers to record details about hedges both in rural settings, like farmland, and urban settings, like gardens. Nearly 3,000 hedgerows were investigated by members of the public. Rural and urban hedges were found to have different plants, insect and spider communities, but both were affected by the presence of a road or path nearby. Rural hedges were more commonly made up of plants like blackthorn, bramble and dog rose, whereas urban hedges were more likely to be beech, holly, laurel and privet. Rural hedges also had more blowflies, caterpillars, harvestmen compared to urban hedges, which harboured more ants, earwigs and shield bugs. In urban hedges with one adjacent hard surface, the food available for wildlife, such as berries, was significantly reduced.