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The snow was great fun, but it made wildlife watching in my garden a bit pointless. I am rather biased on this, because as far as I'm concerned, wildlife really means insects. OK, there are a few birds and the odd squirrel out there

It's National Insect Week, so I'm obliged to mention insects at every opportunity. Organised by the Royal Entomological Society, its aim is to promote the study of insects, to encourage the wider world to understand why it is important to study them

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

completely forgotten about them when they arrived last week. Roses do very well in London, and so too do the insects that feed on them.Apart from the leafcutter bees, which cut out those beautiful semicircles, the insects I most associate with roses

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

and cherry laurel, but against one hoarding is a mass of ivy and it’s still in flower.Ivy is a very important late nectar source for all sorts. The bush is ablaze and abuzz with insects. Twenty or more red admirals and small tortoiseshells vie with countless

To my mind, the asparagus beetle, Crioceris asparagi, is one of our most beautiful insects. The Mondrianesque juxtaposition of its red border, creamy yellow squares and inky blue-black outlining is just astonishing.Although only 5-6mm long, it's a

It boggles my mind to consider how many millions of tonnes of horticultural material must be shipped around the globe each year. And with the plants and soil come the insects. We are lucky in the UK in that we have a relatively cool temperate

The loose bark on old logs is one of the most important hibernating sites for all manner of insects. Here they can remain sheltered from predators, and also from their main enemies during winter: frost and damp. This week they will be sorely tested

Going for walks in Dulwich and Sydenham Hill Woods, Peckham Rye or Nunhead Cemetery, I often hear the tap-tap-tapping of great spotted woodpeckers from high up in the trees as they test the dead boughs for tasty insect morsels. We have no large