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small picture-winged fly, Rhagoletis meigenii (pictured above), in London's Battersea Park in June 2000. At the time this pretty little insect was thought to feed on the native Berberis vulgaris, but was believed to be extinct in Britain, having been

That warm Saturday (April 26th) brought out the first butterflies of the year: holly blue, small tortoiseshell and speckled wood. They're all common garden species, but I always get a thrill when I see any of them.The female holly blue

these wonderful creatures in my back garden. South London is now about the only place in the UK where you can regularly see these awesome monsters. My supposition is that when the housing boom spread across the area 100 to 150 years ago, it was one of the most

Just back from a long weekend in the village of Croscombe, in Somerset between Wells and Shepton Mallet, where The Landmark Trust has a fabulous 15th century building (Old Hall) to rent. Like so many holiday lets, the small garden could not really

creation and management, especially for small garden ponds where even a small amount of leaf fall can foul the water. I'll add that to my feedback to the RSPB.Saturday was a fabulous blazing sunny day in East Dulwich and we made a family day out

We've been going to the Isle of Wight for several years now and it's a great place for the kids. It's also a great place for gardens and one of all our favourites is at the Godshill Model Village.I remember being fascinated by the place when I

; some perhaps a bit younger. The front gardens are small and variously walled or fenced. The very ordinary garden wall in question can only be 30 or 40 years old. Unlike the 100-and-something-year-old houses, it is not built of London yellow bricks

as to defoliate small trees. I have enough trouble keeping the rose sawfly caterpillars at bay, so I've moved Mrs vapourer and her brood to the end of the garden. Perhaps they can attack the bramble that grows over the fence from next door and threatens to engulf

There's not much happening in my garden this week. I think we're scaring everything away. And I can't just blame the cats stalking their quarry; Saturday's bouncy castle and baker's dozen of squawking three- and four-year-olds hasn't added much

Despite the weather's attempts at snow over the Easter weekend, everything is now on the move in my garden. The rhubarb and peony are vying with each other to produce the longest and reddest shoots. A wren seems to be taking special interest