Little Hedgehog Beside a Giant Pumpkin

A small hedgehog with shiny round eyes, a button nose and a gentle smile sits on the grass, its back covered with pointed spines. Behind it rises a huge pumpkin with wide ribs and a thick, curved stem that reaches the top of the page. Blades of grass grow around the hedgehog's feet, and lobed leaves lie across the ground in the foreground. Next to the pumpkin the hedgehog looks tiny, and that size difference is fun to bring out with color.

How Hedgehogs Get Ready for Winter

A European hedgehog carries around 5,000 to 7,000 spines, which are hollow hairs made of keratin, the same material as human fingernails. When scared, it tucks in its head and legs, and a strong ring of muscle pulls the spiny skin around its body like a drawstring bag. Hedgehogs hunt at night for beetles, caterpillars, earthworms and slugs, and in autumn they eat as much as they can to build up fat.

From about November to March they hibernate in nests of leaves under hedges or log piles. They cannot digest cow's milk properly, so wildlife charities advise leaving out fresh water instead. Pumpkins can grow truly enormous: the heaviest competition pumpkins have topped 1,200 kilograms.