THIS month we are all likely to see hedgehogs and many will be killed on our roads. We must also be careful not to kill our hedgehogs with kindness.

During the night hedgehogs wander into gardens and kind people can kill these attractive animals. Too many people give them bread and milk. They do this in good faith without knowing that drinking milk actually kills hedgehogs. What should we give them?

Their natural diet consists of slugs so gardeners should welcome their presence. If you want them near to you then provide small amounts of dog or meaty (not fish-based) cat food while they love peanuts. They also like eggs and can be a threat to wild birds which nest on the ground.

The lesson here is clear before you feed hedgehogs or birds you should be clear that you are helping rather than harming them.

Alien life forms have landed

From this month onwards two plants which we would do without become dominant. Rosebay, which is also known as fireweed, can dominate some areas and those who love their gardens hate this plant.

Take a close look at rosebay and you will see that it is really beautiful plant. It is, however, far too common. It was introduced from North America either by accident or design from Victorian times. Why fireweed? This is either because of its colour or because it is one of the first plants to grow following a fire.

In the days of steam, railways sparks set fire to the embankments and rosebay provided colour which passengers enjoyed.

Rosebay has few predators but he larvae of the elephant hawk moth does feed on the leaves. These larvae will be seen from August onwards and if rosebay is a beauty then the elephant hawk moth is certainly the beast!

The Himalayan balsam: this was introduced obviously from the sub-continent into Victorian gardens. It has since spread along our riversides and has become a real nuisance. The plant can grow in such numbers that it can block watercourses and cause flooding.

Having talked about the dangers the plant does have points of interest. It is sometimes called Policeman's Helmet because of the shape of the flower.

Touch-me-not is another name and refers to the explosive nature of the seed dispersal mechanism. When the ripe fruit is touched the structure flies open and throws the seeds over several yards (or metres if you prefer). Many seeds fall into water they are spread even further.

The great strength of Himalayan Balsam has been its resistance to pollution and this means that it is particularly dominant around urban waterways. These days our rivers are much cleaner but the ever-present balsam is an alien which we could all do without!