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, the birds have been gathering grass, moss and dead leaves for the last fortnight, sneaking them through a gap above the shed door and constructing their nest within. The gap is too small for any marauding predators, and Chris, my mother-in-law, has vowed

it's five-star accommodation.Last July, I responded to a Freecycle email from someone who'd filled in her established pond and razed her entire garden to the ground, prior to a redesign. It was no longer a safe habitat for frogs, and those she'd found

or beneath sheds, while the common carder generally chooses thickets of long grass or compost heaps to nest in. But bumblebees will nest anywhere they deem 'suitable', including bird boxes, lawnmowers, concrete paths and old duvets.I’ve yet to encourage

(apart from the human, of course). In the south of the UK it's estimated that around 80% of bumblebee nests in gardens are predated by wax moth* - perhaps because nests under sheds, in compost bins and bird boxes are easier to find than those hidden

piles, under sheds and in compost heaps. They breed from early to late-summer, giving birth to up to seven hoglets at a time, and feed on earthworms, beetles, caterpillars, and - happily for gardeners - slugs.I've never seen a hedgehog where I live

A recent Which? Gardening report revealed that many shop-bought wildlife homes are not worth buying. The trial included hedgehog homes, bug boxes and bumblebee nesters, and concluded that only solitary bee hotels proved successful, especially home

, but inevitable. In London alone we are losing the equivalent of 2.5 Hyde Parks of green space each year, as landlords and homeowners pave over their gardens to build sheds, park their cars and reduce 'maintenance'. Butterflies are precious in their own right

In common with many gardeners, I would like a bigger garden. The wish list for mine would include trees, a hedge, a mini-meadow, a shed I could stand in, and three ponds. Such is the craving that it invades my sleep – I wake and realise that, once

to find out what happens to cuckoos when they leave the UK, to see if that could shed any light on their decline. We know they go to Africa, but little is know about how they get there and what they get up to once they have arrived. Researchers have tagged