For an animal that goes by so many aliases, the hedgehog is the one British mammal almost everyone can name at first sight. Being a peculiar creature in both looks and habits, it has inspired many myths and stories, with few other animals competing with it in our folklore.

The old Norfolk dialect name, hodmedod, is rarely heard these days. But hedgepig, fuzzpeg, and particularly urchin, are still commonly used among country folk. As well as a collection of odd names, they have multiple personalities too: Beatrix Potter's motherly Mrs Tiggy-winkle, the gardener's friend chewing its way through slugs and snails, or the gamekeeper's foe, fattening up on pheasants' eggs. It was even considered a worthwhile campfire meal by erstwhile travellers of our ancient trackways. Surprisingly, like snakes, tawny owls and voles, hedgehogs never made it to Ireland after the last Ice Age, but they were deemed tasty enough to be introduced in the 13th Century as a handy 'wild' food source!

Few would mistake a hedgehog for anything else; its body of prickly spines is unlike that of any other UK animal. The estimated 6,000 spines are gradually replaced over a period of 18 months, which is around most hedgehogs' lifespan. They are well known for rolling themselves into a tight ball for protection when threatened. Great against a fox or stoat, but little use against a car!

Hedgehogs live in a wide range of habitats, effectively wherever they can find food, which along with slugs and snails, is most insects, frogs, worms and sometimes small mammals or even ground-nesting birds' eggs. The misguided introduction of hedgehogs to offshore islands, such as the Western Isles of Scotland, proved a major issue for seabird colonies, and in recent years wildlife conservationists have had to deal, amid controversy, with this 'prickly' issue.

The one habitat hedgehogs are often absent from is woodland, particularly where there is very little understory, as their natural nemesis is the badger. Without being too graphic, a tight curl of spikes is no match for a badger's powerful, clawed front paws!

Hedgehogs will eat fruit, particularly in the autumn, when the ground is littered with fallen blackberries and crab apples. Although the myth that they roll onto apples to carry them on their spines is doubtful. So, I suspect, is the idea that they drink milk from cows' udders. Many older nature books describe hedgehogs fighting and eating adders, and claim that they are immune to their venom. One thing that is true of hedgehogs is that they are one of the few mammals that truly hibernate in Britain (bats and hazel dormice are the others).

Prior to seeing my first fully functioning hedgehog, their nocturnal activities were only known to me, as a boy, through the carnage of flattened bodies in the road. And it was a time of considerably more hedgehogs and far fewer cars. Despite the increase in traffic since my childhood, pancaked hedgehogs are a much rarer sight. It would be nice to think that they have learnt to run rather than roll into a ball, although thousands of years of evolution cannot be overturned in decades. The flattened body of a hedgehog has always saddened me. I think, perhaps, it's their innocence and blind faith that rolling into a ball, hoping it will go away, will be enough. Unfortunately for the hedgehog, the modern world won't just go away!

Studies suggest that the hedgehog population in the UK in 1970 stood at between 20 and 30 million. There has been a steady decline, which at the turn of the century sped up, and current estimates put the population at only one million. I have had hedgehogs in my current garden, but not for many years, and attempts with my grandchildren to find one have so far failed. Living in such a nature-depleted country, as we do, the hedgehog is such a delightful and fascinating creature to search for, and hopefully, find as a child.

Hedgehogs have declined in the UK mainly because of the loss of habitat and food. Intensive farming, the removal of hedgerows and the use of pesticides have reduced the number of insects and other invertebrates. Inappropriate laying of rat poison and secondary poisoning through slug pellets have taken their toll too. Many gardens, an important habitat for them now, are less nature friendly. Bland, 'tidy' gardens of patios, decking and manicured lawns (or worse, fake grass) remove places for hedgehogs to forage for food, nest and hibernate safely. Continuing urban development, together with gravel-board fencing – which denies opportunities for hedgehogs to move from garden to garden – has fragmented their habitats and made it harder for them to move around safely. And, of course, road traffic is still a major cause of death.

Recent studies have found that villages and suburban gardens now form the most important areas for hedgehogs, and as such, their recovery is something we can all play a part in. The simple act of leaving a corner of the garden overgrown, or creating a 'hedgehog highway' in a section of your garden fencing, can help.

Favouring a temperate climate, the drier, hotter summers, such as the one we have just experienced, are proving difficult for hedgehogs. The provision of water and suitable food can prove vital for a garden hedgehog nursing a litter of hoglets. With autumn approaching and vegetation clearance a common job around the garden, hedgehogs are often the victims of injury by strimmers. Checking the undergrowth before cutting is always advisable, as is checking bonfires prior to lighting them. In early November, hedgehogs are searching for a safe place to hibernate, and I'm sure many fail to resist crawling into a neatly prepared and snug-looking pile of wood, leaves and branches. Of course, little do they know that Guy Fawkes Night awaits them.

Hedgehogs are such an iconic and unusual British animal – and at the risk of being too anthropomorphic – they are delightfully cute with the charming manner of, seemingly, to be just pottering about. And, of course, they are a useful addition for any keen gardener. I hope I find one for my grandchildren, and that our care may allow them to find one for theirs.

Top tips for making your garden hedgehog friendly

Make a hedgehog highway: Cut a gap at the base of your fence so hedgehogs can roam freely between neighbouring gardens.

Provide fresh water: Leave a shallow bowl of clean water out, particularly during warm or dry weather.

Offer safe food: Feed them meaty cat or dog food, or specialist hedgehog food, but never give them milk and bread.

Allow a 'wild' corner in your garden: This will increase the biodiversity of your garden and provide food for hedgehogs.

Build log piles: Pile up wood, logs, and leaves in a quiet corner. This could create a nest and hibernation site for a hedgehog, plus will certainly attract beetles, worms, and other invertebrates.

Stop using chemicals: Avoid slug pellets and chemical pesticides that destroy their natural food chain.

Make ponds safe: Add a ramp, bricks, or large stones by the edge so a hedgehog can climb out safely.

Check before mowing: Inspect tall grass and hidden garden corners thoroughly before using a lawnmower or strimmer.

Be careful with bonfires: Check bonfires before lighting and preferably build your bonfire on the day you plan to light it.

Have you thought about adopting a hedgehog? Click here to find out more.