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in the garden?Thank you to The Wildlife Trusts for supplying the rosebay willowherb photo, by Paul Lane

Last week, Butterfly Conservation published a report called The State of Britain's Larger Moths 2013. It makes a depressing read, demonstrating a marked decline in the number of our larger moths over the last 40 years. The survey, conducted in association with Rothamstead Researc...

dedicated to wildlife.At times, I felt I was looking in the mirror at a South American version of myself. Unlike Fabiana, I doubt I will ever be in the position of having to commission the building of a water tower, but I can empathise with her desire

This week, the RSPB and other wildlife organisations published a report identifying the declines of our native wildlife. Called ‘State of Nature’, it’s a breakthrough in British conservation. For the first time, experts have worked together

Dog violets, Viola riviniana, appeared almost as soon as I laid the topsoil of my new garden. They’ve been here for three years now, slowly bulking up in corners where nothing else grows.They thrive in the shadiest parts of my garden, flowering just after the snowdrops and before...

This week a new type of lawn was born. The flower-rich, low-maintenance, wildlife-friendly sward was launched at a park in Kensington and Chelsea, after its creator, Lionel Smith, wanted to explore alternatives to the traditional grass monoculture

There are so few plants that do well in my small, shady garden, but those that do thrive deserve a medal. This week, honesty is taking centre stage, with its tall spires of brilliant white flowers, towering above more subtle spring blooms.I love honesty. It's one of the many plan...

Two years, I felt the need to grow a local, native plant in my garden. I gathered rosehips from a field rose at the edge of a nearby canal, soaked them in water and sowed the seed in coarse compost.The pots sat in a corner of my patio, doing nothing. I’d almost given up when two ...

directly into the terraces, or into nearby fountains so that they could be easily watered by hand, although sometimes they didn't need watering at all. Also, these terraces helped prevent mountain erosion.From a wildlife gardening perspective, this style