Comments on: Why should the landscape of Chinese cities be designed like Baroque gardens?

By: Christine

Christine — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 06:03:13 +0000

Yuan – just for you! [ http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/strangest-summer-snack-the-watermelon-hedgehog-yes-hedgehog-1824868 ]

By: Tian Yuan

Tian Yuan — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 06:55:13 +0000

Christine, please do not always talk about dessert, here is a greedy kid whoes has the worst teeth among all the landscape architects because she has eaten a lot of chocolats trifle,candy…

By: Christine

Christine — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 05:44:18 +0000

Thankyou. For a defintive answer on your speculations about the existence of the hedgehog perhaps gardenvisit could stage a ‘hedgehog race’ and challenge participants to take the first photograph of a hedgehog clearly shown to be living in Greenwich Park?

The prize might be a slice of hedgehog cake [ http://wendyinkk.blogspot.com/2010/08/batik-cake-or-hedgehog-cake.html ]. Why would we have hedgehog slice in Australia? [ http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/desserts/chocolate-hedgehog-slice/ ]. I have no idea (though it may also be related to the American chocolate brownie.)!

By: Tom Turner

Tom Turner — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 18:44:41 +0000

Fred Brown should read the section on hedgehogs in his Greenwich Council's Biodiversity Action Plan. After all, they pay his wages! I think there must be hedgehogs in Greenwich Park, if only in the deer enclosure and adjoining woodland.

By: Christine

Christine — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 06:15:09 +0000

Tian, the possom is the ‘Aussie squirrel’. There are many types of possoms in Australia, this is just one. [ http://www.jennifermarohasy.com/blog/archives /possums%20blog.jpg ].

Apart from Dame Edna Everage making the saying ‘Hello Possums’ famous in the UK [ http://www.rockymusic.org/showimage/087b3c5e69d98513b6d0a30b8db722e6.php ] the possom has an important role in Australian culture (ie children’s literature) [ http://www.memfox.net/possum-magic.html ] and indigenous culture (ie. possum skin cloaks)[ http://image.absoluteastronomy.com/images/encyclopediaimages/p/po/possum.gif ].

Tom The Royal Parks is in agreement with you about the doubtful existence of Hedgehogs in Greenwich Park.[ http://www.royalparks.org.uk/docs/100118%20TRP%20consultation%20response%20to%20LBG%20-%20LOCOG%20planning%20application%20Greenwich.pdf ] Do you know if any Hedgehogs have been spotted in Greenwich Ecology Park?

Apparently November 5 – Bonfire night – is a particularly dangerous date for hedgehogs as they love to hibernate in piles of wood and leaves. There is some thought that hedgehogs could be extinct in Wales within 15 years. [ http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2010/11/05/hedgehogs-could-be-extinct-in-15-years-warning-91466-27603894/ ]

The Dutch study ‘The effects of roads and traffic on hedgehog populations’ by Marcel Huijser and Piet Bergers discusses some of the hazards for Dutch hedgehogs.

“The effects of roads and traffic on animal populations are not restricted to traffic mortality alone. Direct habitat loss and factors related to roads and traffic that may affect habitat quality or animal movements can reduce survival probability or population density too. Isolation, traffic noise, visual stimuli (e.g. lights), pollution (e.g. salt, heavy metals, nitrogen-containing compounds, herbicides), management activities in the road-side verges, increased human access, and erosion and sedimentation (especially in uneven terrain) are generally considered to have the greatest effect on habitat quality (e.g. Forman et al., 1997; Forman and Huijser). The ‘effect zone’ of these factors is not restricted to the actual road and road-side verges. Depending on the factor concerned, the affected area may be a few metres up to several kilometres wide.”

Perhaps staging a few concerts here at the Hedgehog Pavilion to raise funds to save the hedgehog might change their fate? [ http://inhabitat.com/hedgehog-concert-pavilion-makes-traffic-cones-beautiful/ ]

By: Tom Turner

Tom Turner — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 08:35:32 +0000

I think that in Greenwich Park more photographs are taken of the squirrels than of anything else. They probably do have hedgehogs but I have never seen them ‘in the prickles’ or even their droppings.

By: Tian Yuan

Tian Yuan — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 05:54:48 +0000

Yes, I will just see them and take photograph with them as I usually do with squirrels.

By: Christine

Christine — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 05:16:15 +0000

The echidna (Aussie hedgehog) is real. I have seen them in their natural habitat while walking at Cradle Mountain. [ http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=3297 ] They really are adorable despite the spikes (it is well worth the effort getting a thick towel and gloves to cuddle them) and are naturally quite shy and timid creatures. So I wouldn’t recommend yelling at them Tian. It is a great privilege just to see them.

The problem for echidnas is the fragmentation of their habitat, sometimes by roads, so that when they try to cross the road they are hit by motorists.

By: Tian Yuan

Tian Yuan — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 13:53:39 +0000

Tom, I hope it may not be too late to go on with this project when I am there later. If you take photos, please share with us and we can discuss them here at least. Re JinBin Road, it is a good idea to have a discussion with engineer’s department. I planned to go back to Tianjin in the end of this month and I will have a try to find this department and speak to them for the photograph.

I will cuddle the cute hedgehog only when it is a doll If it is a real one, I am afraid that I will keep shouting until it feel scared and run away.(!)

By: Tom Turner

Tom Turner — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 06:05:29 +0000

Yuan, if you here that a big urbanisation project is about to take place it is well worth going to take a set of photographs in advance, particularly of any features which might survive the onslaught. I spent a day doing this soon after the London Olympic site was announced. The plan was to take regular photographs but they fenced the whole site off. I will however be able to re-take some of the pics when the site opens. Would it e possible to get a photograph of the old JinBin road from the engineer’s department? or are they too busy?
The Aussie hedgehog is a real charmer, but I’m not sure I would want to cuddle it. Perhaps the road could have crash barriers which would protect wildlife. The old steel barriers in the UK are being replaced with concrete barriers, I guess because they are stronger and they stop headlights dazzling other motorists,