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After last week's excitement about the ladybird party on the BBC allotment, I was delighted to learn that the UK Ladybird Survey had a stand at this year’s Gardeners' World Live.There’s always a few wildlife charities at the show and each year I

, which have now been added to Pippa's blog. These are, starting from the top:1. Pupa of the harlequin ladybird, Harmonia axyridis.2. Larva and pupa of the harlequin ladybird. Both larvae and pupa are very much brighter and larger than other UK species.3

For the last few years I've noticed large numbers of harlequin ladybirds (pictured, left) visiting my garden in summer, and then hibernating inside my window frames over winter.The window frames also provide winter shelter for lacewings and many

alarm. It seems to prefer pine aphids and I only found it in London last year, for the first time.The harlequin ladybird is all over south London now, and although I saw lots in 2006, they were fewer and further between in 2007. Oh, and the seven

We are being invaded. I had not seen many harlequin ladybirds in my garden this year, but a few weeks ago I noticed that the larvae were climbing over the hedge from next door, in droves. This south-facing fence is covered with ivy and a

isn't very old, it's not more than 20cm in diameter at the base, but the bark is rough and gnarled enough to provide the odd nook and cranny for overwintering ladybirds.Surprisingly, these are not the recent alien invader Harmonia axyridis

. It is Clitostethus arcuatus, Britain's smallest, and perhaps rarest, ladybird. Of course, not being of the large, spotted, variety, it is not really counted as a true ladybird, and is not included in any of the online ladybird surveys. But it is a closely related

pleasing than a plank of wood). The holes need to be at least 10 and preferably 20cm deep, with a diameter of 4-8mm. Mind you, if you live in Leicestershire, drill holes 15mm across and you might get the massive carpenter bee, Xylocopa violacea.

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

wildlife, they can be made into great plant food and are a surprisingly versatile ingredient in the kitchen.The nettle we're used to in the UK is Urtica dioica, a perennial plant full of iron, calcium, magnesium and nitrogen, which makes it incredibly