Our Hedgerow survey results are in!

The project was based around an area we care about a lot – hedgerows. It took the form of a straightforward ‘onsite survey’ and asked people to go out and spend time near a hedgerow, reporting back what they saw, the wildlife they found, and how the experience made them feel.

We wanted to create an accessible citizen science project that not only gave us some insight into the state of hedgerows across the country, but also helped people connect with nature. We now have the results.

View the results map

Connection to nature

We were delighted to see how much participating in the HedgeLife survey boosted people’s feelings about being connected to nature.

Of all who responded, 70% of participants found the project either good or great for their wellbeing. And 72% agreed that the project helped them feel closer to nature. It’s encouraging for us to see that the project had a positive impact on so many of those who chose to take part.

The hedgerow analysis

We tried to keep the questions straightforward, so that as many people as possible could take part. In the hedgerows surveyed, the results are broadly encouraging, though it’s important to acknowledge some of the biases in the data – see the end of this article.

Hedgerow blossom

81% of participants saw blossom on the hedges they surveyed. This suggests that the hedgerows surveyed are being carefully managed and being allowed to blossom, which is great news for pollinators in those areas. It’s also great for birds and small mammals, as assuming those flowers eventually become fruit, they’ll have food for autumn and winter.

Unmown grass

73% of participants reported that there was at least one metre of unmown grass running alongside the hedge. The base of well-managed hedgerows are fantastic habitats for a variety of ‘woodland-edge’ plants. These plants provide food for pollinators and insects, and shelter for small mammals.

Hedgerow trees

We asked participants whether they saw any trees taller than the hedge in their survey area. 81% said yes and 19% said no. In general, a hedgerow with trees is better for biodiversity because it makes for a more diverse habitat, with different heights, shelters and food sources. Intensive management such as hedgerow flailing can stunt the growth of emerging trees. One solution to allow for future hedgerow trees to grow is to tag them to prevent accidental damage.

Leaf shapes

We asked participants whether they saw more than five different leaf shapes in their surveyed hedge, to help us get an insight into the species richness of the hedgerow. 71% of participants said yes, and 29% said no. The best hedgerows are species-diverse, with five or more different plants.

Hedge height

When asked if the hedgerow they were looking at was taller than them, 82% said yes. One of the main influences on hedge height is its management. Some hedges are managed to grow incrementally higher, and others are cut at the same height each time. Tall hedges are important, but of equal importance is their bushiness.

Hedgerow connectivity

We asked people whether the hedge they looked at had plants that touched all along the hedge; 87% said yes and 13% said no. Hedgerows that don’t have gaps along them are best for animals like dormice that don’t like to come down from hedgerow branches when moving around the countryside.

Hedge shape

The seventh question asked participants whether the hedgerow they surveyed had branches down to the ground: 88.5% said yes and 12.5% said no. Thick branching hedges are important at the bottom of the hedge to protect birds and small mammals from predators.

Birds and insects

We wanted to know whether participants had seen any birds or insects in the area around the hedgerow. 58% of participants saw between one and five birds, 32% saw more than five, and 11% said they saw none. In the case of butterflies, bees and other insects, 82% said they spotted them but 18% said they didn’t. Of course, data here might have been skewed by several factors such as time of day and the weather. But, in general, there were encouraging signs that there was animal life around the hedgerows studied.

Other takeaways

We want to highlight a couple of biases in the data. While the results paint a positive picture of the state of our hedgerows, it may be that some participants were drawn to a particularly nice-looking hedge. And perhaps many of our participants lived in areas where hedgerow management is wildlife-focused.

In addition, there was an imbalance in regional participation. Overall, the south of England (including London) accounted for 45.5% of all data; the midlands 19.2%; eastern England 12.4% and northern England 18.9%. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland had fewer people taking part, so the data is most representative of England. With a cold spring and wet summer, along with the skew towards southern geographies, it’s possible that the hedges were further along, which is why the results appear encouraging.

Regardless, it’s clear that the hedges surveyed generally ticked a lot of boxes for biodiversity and overall health. And it is very encouraging that project participation was a positive experience for so many of those who took part.

Explore the results map

What’s next

Learn more about hedgerows and hedgerow plants in our little rough guide around the hedges.

If your young children (or grandchildren) are interested in hedgerows and the wildlife they support, you might like to give them their very own book about hedgerows, The Happy Hedgerow, by local author Elena Mannion, or her sequel, Old Oak and Little Acorn.

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