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, or a late opening of goatsbeard flowers either. It was the noticeable absence of 747s turning on their final approach into Heathrow. Only a serious change in the wind can do this. An hour later this new wind brought a wonderful gift - the swifts

on the broad leaves, Fallopia is more or less sterile when it comes to wildlife. But this may be about to change. I notice that there are rumours of importing a small but pretty Japanese insect, the psyllid bug Aphalara idatori, to try and control the knotweed

, and these too, contorted to grip each other, forming first a tight knot, then expanding into a broad round flower shape. This is the point at which each exudes sperm into the other. Slugs are hermaphrodites, their bodies containing both male and female organs

of the last flowers.Anyway, I tell you all this not only to entertain you with tales of my day but also to demonstrate the fact that this garden teems with wildlife. Apart from those mentioned we have birds a-go-go, the odd hedgehog and there is a grass snake

Last year I wrote about autumn tidying and the effect this can have on wildlife. I left my garden untouched over winter, leaving hibernating creatures snuggled under a duvet of fallen leaves and rotting stems. None of my plants died or were ravaged

, most of the ivy flowers are over and many of the large black berries are already well-developed.I’m rather depressed by the fact that yet another front garden is being concreted further up the road, so I peer out with the binoculars, from the fire

.Making a bird box.Making a bee hotel.Installing a window bird feeder.Making a bat box.Making fat cakes for birds.Making a green roof for a bird table.Browse plants that are attractive to wildlifeView a variety of scented flowers

Although autumn hangs heavier in the air with each day, it only takes a brief break in the clouds to bring shy wildlife back out into the open. So it was on Friday last week when I headed for the horticultural delights of North Woolwich. Here

females) no longer have a burgeoning brood of nest mate grubs to rear in the brood combs. Since it was the grubs that needed the chewed insect protein, the listless workers are now left to forage for themselves, at flowers, fallen fruit and jam sandwiches

woodpeckers, witnessed blackbirds and robins fighting over territory, and sat a little too close to a wasps' nest.It's generally a very good habitat for wildlife: there's a mass of ivy to provide food and shelter for all manner of creatures, and something