Sussex Nature

Cute, yes, but he's not a Tree Hedgehog

It was spiky and a little smaller than a football. But it was certainly no relation to Mrs Tiggywinkle or Sonic.

In fact, far from being a rather cute and spiny, second cousin to Persil the Albino Squirrel, the strange white thing turned out to be the "fruiting body" of the Tree Hedgehog.

And before you check the date to make sure that it's not April the 1st, let us enlighten you further.

The Tree Hedgehog is (although some may say slightly disappointingly) actually a fungus, which is also known as the Hericium Erinaceum, Bearded Tooth or Lion's Mane.

The Tree Hedgehog's beech house!

It is an endangered species that has previously only been seen 12 times in the UK, in the last 45 years! It grows mainly on Beech but also on Oak, Birch, Maple, Aspen, Ash, Alder, Willow and Poplar.

Pru's role as a CityWildlife nature warden, meant that she knew what it was and how to register the details of her sighting on www.citywildlife.org.uk.

Once the record had been made, officers from the Booth Museum and Brighton & Hove City Council’s countryside service were able to confirm the sighting.

In fact, it is so rare that a national action plan has been published for it! This identifies a need to conserve suitable, ancient trees as a key to its conservation.

The Tree Hedgehog. Photo: Pru Gridley

This fungus is edible, tasting a tiny bit like lobster, although its unusual smell may put you off.

But before you rush off to the woods with the garlic butter and a frying pan, its rarity also means that it is a protected species and it is therefore illegal to pick it, in the wild.

However, there are farms in the UK who have managed to grow this variety of mushroom and if you hunt hard enough, you may be able to find cultivated versions, sold as a delicacy.

You can find out more about the wild Tree Hedgehog (Oh, how we love that name! Ed.) by logging onto the CityWildlife website.

WARNING: Many species of fungus are poisonous or contain chemicals that can cause sickness. Never pick and eat any species of fungus that you cannot positively recognise or are unsure about. Some species are deadly poisonous and can cause death within a few hours if swallowed.