Boundaries/Hedges

Hedgerow study, 2022, digital drawing Vital features in the landscape, hedges are more than an essential refuge for wildlife, they also clean our air, capture carbon and reduce flooding. There are 130 Biodiversity Action Plan species closely associated with hedges including lichens, fungi and reptiles. Many more use them for food and shelter during some of their lifecycle. Bank vole, harvest mouse and hedgehog all nest and feed in hedgerows alongside birds including blue tit, yellowhammer and whitethroat, while bats use them as ‘commuter routes’ for foraging and roosting. Hedge numbers have declined rapidly in the last century. Around 118,000 miles of hedgerows have disappeared since 1950, due largely to intensification of agriculture. The loss has slowed since the 1990s, but neglect, damage and removal remain significant threats. My project here will be a native hedgerow maze, drawing on the tradition of ornamental hedge mazes. Instead of being for the diversion of the upper class human residents of stately homes, this maze is for the use of non-humans.