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-rotted manurePeas are vulnerable to attack from birds, so consider protecting them using nettingEven a single pod left to mature on the plant can dramatically reduce the number of flowers and pods produced, so pick your peas regularly to keep them cropping

-trained plum. It forms quite a thicket, with stems growing 3-4m long by the end of summer, so it does need a bit of space. Tiny white flowers will form on the stems that developed into fat green pods. Picked small I throw the whole pod into stir fries, but when

adaptation to the disappearance of greenery in autumn and the fact that these bugs sun themselves on brown tree trunks to warm up when they re-emerge in spring.I can't resist picking up these bumbling creatures, they're lovely. Their clockwork gait is almost

aphids on my pyracanthas, which are dealt with by a strong jet of water, and stripy mullein caterpillars on verbascum, which are easy to pick off.I mention all this because I came across a very ancient shed the other day with many of the original

.Unfortunately, the foxes that frequented the many out-of-the-way wildlife havens along the tracks could not read the danger signs and it was not uncommon to come across the remains of one picked clean beside the rails. At one time we had a good half dozen fox skulls around

's alarm was a female. These lack the huge antler jaws of the male but still are impressive beasts. And the small jaws are just as likely to give a nip if she's picked up less than cautiously. I've heard an anecdotal report that female stag beetles are more

, which has gloriously felted leaves and pale yellow flowers with jam-coloured centres. This species doesn't seem to suffer as much as some others, but I always keep an eye out and pick the caterpillars off whenever I see them. I found one on the kitchen

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

wasted.Later in October I'll be able to start picking other varieties (I've about 10 in all), including Cox, that have also cropped really well this year. These later ripening varieties do store much better, so I set them out in wooden, stacking trays

of picking up my first click beetle, many years ago. It twitched and clicked between my finger and thumb and I felt I must have found something truly remarkable. I dashed off, whooping and clutching my prize, to show mum and dad.There was no-one to show my