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One of our cats sat motionless on the edge of the pond today, head drooped down almost touching the water as if he were asleep. But the occasional tic gave him away: he was watching newts. The bright sunshine lit up a corner of our triangular pond

high up on the trunk of an old tree at the edge of the clearing. It’s a nuthatch. From this distance its grey-blue plumage makes it look elegant and sleek, rather than the ‘plump’ suggested by all the birding guides. Maybe it’s just had a tough winter

After the frantic time of summer holidays, when it's as much as I can do to remember to mow the lawn occasionally or throw a bucket of water on anything that's drooped dangerously, we are edging back to the normal routines of work, school and ... a

at first look unappealing and unattractive, they are nevertheless home to 12–14 per cent of all our red data book and nationally scarce insect species; that’s more than you find in ancient woodlands or on chalk downs.The reason they are so important

to the edges of the pond liner like miniature paper dragons.Since I had to replace the pond liner early in 2008 I have not seen any adults in my garden. I did dredge up a damsel larva one day, so I am hopeful they are still about despite the large number

fences to prevent the geese from trampling some of the newly planted edges. And what's this hawking over the water surface? An emperor dragonfly, Anax imperator. Things are looking up.Maybe the heron will be a regular visitor. Nearby Dulwich Park has a

, on the edge of meadows, while the meadow browns prefer fluttering across swathes of long grass.Whatever the reason, they're very obvious in the garden this week, because they're mating and they spend many minutes, or even hours, 'in copula'. One pair sat

decision I feel. They inevitably end up tucked into the edges of the carpet around the skirting board, dry, dusty and very dead. They just haven't learned that central heating is all the rage nowadays. They come indoors to avoid the excess moisture and damp

. Then: a comma.Polygonia c-album is perfectly named for its many-angled raggedy wing edge. During its hibernation sojourn it is invisible; wings held tight together its dark mottled underside resembles so closely a torn dead leaf as it sits motionless

.I'm surprised, though, to see little sign of wildlife at any of these flower pots - just a lone honeybee and a couple of pigeons.It is only down by the river's edge that I can see what I might call real wildlife in a garden. A tiny concrete balcony