M YOUR QUESTIONS ORE gardeners are creating wild areas to attract bees, butterflies, hedgehogs and birds – yet some wildlife is still in decline.

Sightings of frogs, toads and hedgehogs are down compared with this time last year, according to BBC Gardeners’ World magazine, which carried out a survey in October with more than 2,000 readers.

Only 27 per cent of those polled saw hedgehogs in 2009, compared with 44 per cent last year.

Fay Vass, of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, said: “Hedgehogs are in decline for many reasons, although little is known about why.”

Overzealous fencing prevents the creatures moving between gardens looking for food, while decking also limits foraging opportunities.

If you want to attract hedgehogs, go for flowering hedges as a screening which provides flowers and fruits for wildlife and cover for the animals.

Creating a wood pile should encourage them to build a nest underneath. Compost heaps also attract hedgehogs, which not only nest there but also feed off the insects that congregate.

Allow nettles and weeds to take over a corner of your garden, which will provide privacy for small creatures. Having nesting boxes for hedgehogs, birds and bats might also encourage these creatures into your garden.

One-third of ponds are thought to have disappeared in the last 50 years, according to the charity Amphibian and Reptile Conservation. This has had an enormous impact on wildlife, particularly amphibians.

Despite the fact that 33 per cent of those polled have a pond to attract amphibians, only 42 per cent of them saw frogs, compared with 67 per cent last year. Only 16 per cent saw toads, down from 41 per cent. If you don’t have a pond, think about installing one, even if it’s just a small pond or bog garden. An area of water attracts a multitude of creatures including frogs, toads, newts, diving beetles, water scorpions and thirsty hedgehogs.

Choose an area away from trees, especially sycamore. One side of the pond should gradually slope to allow hedgehogs and other small wildlife an exit.

The Department for Transport will erect ‘Toads on the Road’ signs in some areas from January to prevent deaths of those migrating earlier in the year to spawn.

However, the results of the survey are not all bad. Bee, moth and butterfly populations are showing signs of recovery, thanks to a warmer, drier spring which enabled many species to breed before the wet summer.

Numbers of rare butterfly species, such as the heath fritillary, marsh fritillary and the silver studded blue, are up.

While native red squirrels are still confined to certain parts of the UK, they seem to be recolonising in the north of England, according to Save Our Squirrels, and some are showing signs of immunity to squirrel pox.

While many species of moth are endangered in the UK, some 75 per cent of readers reported seeing the winged insects this year.

To encourage moths, grow nectar-rich tobacco plants and red campion, and night-scented plants such as evening primrose, honeysuckle and stocks.

Gardeners’ World editor Adam Pasco says some birds, insects and animals simply pass through the ‘green corridors’ that gardens create, linking natural sites around local areas.

He said: “However, with a little understanding of the needs of wildlife we can create environments to encourage it to actually take up residence in our gardens. Planting hedges and borders of shrubs will provide shelter and nesting sites for birds, and fruits and berries provide food, while log piles and areas left wild give creatures somewhere to hibernate. Water is also essential. From ponds where frogs, toads, newts, dragonflies and more can live, to a simple bird bath for drinking and preening.”