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completely different foodplants. Butterflies in the spring emergence lay their eggs on holly and their caterpillars feed on the developing buds. When these insects reach adulthood in late-summer they lay their eggs on ivy flower buds. At least

the blue of the wooden compost bins. Yes blue. They match the shed and aren't really that bright - they've weathered to a dark rustic tone.And feeding on the fly maggots is a whole series of other insects. There's a veritable ecosystem in there. Several

feeding frenzy day and night, unhindered by daytime sunshine, if you can remember what that looks like.But help is at hand. When I pop out to pick my salads each evening I usually disturb a frog or two among the leaves, finding their supper just as I

the ground at speed. It is now upright, though it has acquired a worrying wobble. Interestingly, the birds were still feeding from it when it was still flat on the ground. I wonder if they were the usual locals, or were they looters?We also had some

of damage. They tend to feed on exposed areas of the foliage, so it's not too difficult to spot and remove them before they've decimated the plants.Of course, you may not want to remove them from your prized plants. Some gardeners choose to leave them be

, not brown!It was all my own fault. I had a photography day planned in my garden to take pictures for the What to do now section in Gardeners' World Magazine. Autumn lawn care was on the agenda, so some nice practical shots of applying an autumn lawn feed

the parent owls feeding what seems like an unbelievable quantity of meals to their young, and then, in recent weeks, its been fascinating, and I must admit often rather amusing watching the young owls learn to fly, and attempt to balance on the top

when they're going short of moisture on hot days by starting to droop. Secondly they need food, and I mix in a liquid feed at least once a week to top up reserves in the compost. And thirdly you must deadhead. This can be viewed as a chore

greenhouse cucumbers always succumb to red spider mite. Hostas act like a magnet to the local snail population.Well, I'm not having this! I've been fighting back, organically of course, especially on crops I'm going to eat or feed the family.How disappointing

150 years. It feeds on the fruits, using its stylet mouthparts to suck out the juices, in autumn moving to the berries of yew, which also grows profusely on the chalk downs.However, during the 1990s Gonocerus was found, first, at Bookham Common