The Great Nut Hunt

There's very little chance of me catching a picture of a Dormouse even if they still had territory near me. They are way to shy and nocturnal. Dormice or to be precise in the UK, Hazel Dormice are one of the most adorable little animals but unfortunately their numbers have been declining. I borrowed this picture from Ceri Richards' blog to show you the distinct way the Dormouse eat their hazel nuts. Finding these little nutty relics may well be the only evidence you will see of the presence of a Dormouse. Today they mainly live in the south of England and parts of Wales. Some isolated pockets still exist (or did) in the north - mainly in parts of Yorkshire and the Lake District. The closest to my neck of the woods (sorry) where they might be found would be in the Forest of Bowland. A survey organised by the PTES is about to start soon. It is called the Great Nut Hunt and will gather information from participants over the Autumn and Winter months to find woods that still have Dormice in England and Wales. There will also be Mad Hatter Tea Parties and other fund raising efforts.
I was once cast as the Dormouse in a school production of Alice in Wonderland. I think this was at the stage when the drama teacher was trying to limit my roles in the school plays because I had a bad habit of 'taking over'. I still managed to wake up more times than the script suggested with sleepy ad libs though. And boy did I milk that treacle well.