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wilderness.The evening air is alive with the sewing machine whirr of grasshoppers and bush-crickets, and the distant piping of field crickets sweeps in from far-off grassy knolls and rocky outcrops. And in the morning we are engulfed in wildlife

mind, I seem more aware of the other inhabitants of my compost heap. Last Sunday I noticed some sort of eggs had been laid on the underside of the lid; further down there was an ants’ nest, while masses of worms, rove beetles and woodlice writhed

again, I’ve been dreaming about a big, leafy, watery garden. But why three ponds? Well, they would be of different sizes and depths, and therefore attract a wide range of wildlife. I would dig a large, deep pond, a medium-sized pond and a small, shallow

weeks, just when the beetles, caterpillars and slugs that hedgehogs rely on for food are themselves settling down to hibernate. Despite being nocturnal, autumn orphans are likely to be seen out during the day as they try to find food to gain weight

, butterflies, beetles and some birds, urgently need our help. If there aren't sufficient habitats for them in our cities and countryside, we can help them in our gardens.Thanks to Mark Parsons at Butterfly Conservation for his beautiful image of the garden

feat for so late in the spring. To me, they represented the needs of both humans and wildlife - the blossom for bees, the fruit for us and the birds, and the bark and leaves for a myriad of moths and beetles as well as the species that eat them.If all

enough to take a few pictures. I remember when I first encountered vine weevil and lily beetle. Both are now regular pests in my garden, without natural predators to keep them under control. Thankfully New Zealand flatworms haven't made it to my garden

of dead foliage makes it even better, as it attracts other creatures eaten by frogs, such as slugs, snails and beetles.Seemingly, my grow bag habitat is so good, the frogs still haven't emerged. They're awake now (I checked), and I can hear them thumping

piles, under sheds and in compost heaps. They breed from early to late-summer, giving birth to up to seven hoglets at a time, and feed on earthworms, beetles, caterpillars, and - happily for gardeners - slugs.I've never seen a hedgehog where I live

bin and various log and leaf piles. I measure my success by the wildlife I find using the habitats I have created for them – frogs in the leaf piles, a mouse in the compost bin, beetles and centipedes in the log pile.However, I fall down in two areas