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and lays her pale beige marshmallow-shaped eggs (I estimated about 250), and that's it. Job done.Like most insects, her adult life is very short and with only one aim: to start off the next generation. This was only the second female I've ever seen

.However, this is not taking full advantage of the adaptability of this plant; it is a shrub that thrives on pruning. You hack a bit off and it will come back at you with ten new shoots. As a result it is easy to shape and can be used as a very effective architectural plant

and seed-pods and cut the plant back to regain its shape and enhance its texture in time for May. Eriocephalus is not only used in South Africa as we would use Rosmarinus officinalis, but is also a beneficial medicinal herb with anti-spasmodic properties

means 'little dragon', which could refer to the shape of French tarragon's roots, or to its fiery flavour. It was certainly believed to heal bites from snakes, serpents and other venomous creatures. Plants for each of the flower shows are marked out

a heart on their sundial, so that on their wedding anniversary the sun shone through the heart at exactly midday. I find that so romantic.Seeing the size and shape of the hare helped me finalise my design - it can be very difficult to visualize a

James Alexander-Sinclair's blogs on the subject of small trees but wanted to share my own experience - not of growing trees in the garden but in large pots.Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum' is a stunning small, slow-growing maple with the most gorgeous palm-shaped

, which has been bashed by the recent gales and torrential rain. This helps protect the crown and shape of the plants, so hopefully they'll be ready for next year. I'm worried the rough weather will affect my flower stock for the forthcoming Hampton Court

into me.Centipedes don't have jaws in the conventional sense; instead, they have two long scimitar-shaped fangs. These are evolved from what was once their first pair of legs, and reach from their attachment at the back of the neck right round to meet in a

spathes in pale shades of pink, yellow and cream through to white, and lance-shaped leaves. Elliottiana hybrids have wonderfully speckled leaves and bright, brash spathes, while the rehmannii hybrids have mainly deeper green leaves and often deep purple

and empty shell, hollowed out by the minute parasitoid 'wasp', Praon. The wasp eats the tender insides of the aphid, leaving a dry, mummified skin (left). It then burrows out through the underside and spins a disk-shaped cocoon underneath its victim