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, restaurants, and - ahem - bird tables.I'm not sure how I'd feel if I attracted rats to my garden. I don't mind them (that is to say, I'm not offended by their existence) and I'd never kill one, but I wouldn't like them in my garden (it's only 4m², after all

are distinctive in midsummer, before they take on pink tints. Leave flowers after they've died, as they'll continue to look attractive in winter.SedumThis classic late-summer border perennial comes in a wide range of colours, and one or two have variegated foliage

exclude all meat, fat and anything that has been cooked, as these will attract vermin. I also avoid citrus remains because they are slow to rot and very acidic, which reduces worm activity.Very few plants contain the right balance of nitrogen and carbon

the densely populated 12eme arrondissement?Something occurs to me. Are the houses of south-east London no longer attractive for nesting in the eaves? What with roof insulation and loft conversions, perhaps the birds are being edged out? Ironically, the five

isn't very old, it's not more than 20cm in diameter at the base, but the bark is rough and gnarled enough to provide the odd nook and cranny for overwintering ladybirds.Surprisingly, these are not the recent alien invader Harmonia axyridis

attracted by mysterious chemical smells lingering on the glass and metal. I don't know what happened to the bees, but whilst I was photographing them I heard a woman speaking on her mobile phone to a friend who was obviously a beekeeper. Perhaps they are now

harum-scarum spiral from nowhere to nowhere else.Then each evening the kitchen and bathroom walls would usually be alive with moths attracted to the lights and flying in through open doors and windows. We'd had a fabulous procession: knot grass

is the most pleasant to work with. It was eminent English physician George Cheyne (1671-1742) who said something along the lines that the Creator had deliberately made horse dung smell so sweet, because he knew that mankind would oft be in its presence. Cow

biological reason for this.Honeybees, bumblebees and social wasps all congregate around prominent branches or treetops when they mate. Males gather together at these vantage points and mark them with a scent which then attracts females. These 'social' insects

I recently visited the community orchard at Haggerston Park. It makes a lovely little wildlife sanctuary amidst the concrete of built-up Hackney: all fruit trees, wildflowers and long grass. It's also home to a few ornamental plants, including pot