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him. Not surprisingly, there were lots of tears.I'm not sure if it was one from the nest, or elsewhere. We seem to have bumblebee heaven just outside the back door - the chive flowers are weighed down with them. Not only do we have this deliciously

it does not flit from flower to flower like a butterfly. But it flies readily if disturbed from its not-very-camouflaged position on a leaf, wall, fence, window, car, no-parking sign, bollard or brightly coloured plastic bin full of winter salt/grit mix

.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

they are transformed by the arrival of tonnes of imported topsoil and a bewildering rainbow of garden plants, for Gardeners' World Live.Whilst I was there I was asked to research and create a container of plants to attract wildlife, and despite the rain, it looked

For anyone who thought the cold winter might have been a bit harsh for wildlife, I hope the recent heatwave has been an eye-opener. I’ve certainly never seen so much insect life in April before. The garden has been awash with orange-tips, holly

, which was a gift from Sid the blackbird. But they’re a long way off flowering and fruiting. Only the honeysuckle has a supply of berries, which isn’t much to sustain local birds.Small, manageable options for my garden include hawthorn, pyracantha

to wildlifeView plants by flower colour

.I had quite happily (and rather pompously I’m sorry to say) stated that these lovely insects were never a problem in the garden, because, although they are sap suckers, they prefer wild flowers to cultivated plants. Boy did I get that wrong. I was given

, but I can never quite see where it goes, or what flowers it might be visiting.In fact, this isn't the first bumblebee I've seen this year, just the first living one. Twice now, we've found dead ones crushed on the pavement on the way to school

kestrel off in the distance once, but it gave itself away by its distinctive fluttering hover. Anyway, the kestrel is a small, dainty bird, easily able to perch on a stout flower-head that would bow down under the hefty weight of a sparrowhawk