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months hidden in hibernation in some dry secluded spot, the queens, with a store of sperm from autumn matings, venture out to an uncertain spring weather pattern, which is as unpredictable as any of the many other dangers they face from predators, disease

that within 10 days they will be back to their original rich emerald hue.The green shieldbug (Palomena prasina) is, of course, green, except that it isn't during winter. Nobody seems exactly sure what is going on, but they start to turn brownish purple

queen wasp making a nest in the shed. Much as I like wasps, and no matter how long I bang on about them being 'the gardener's friends' - helpful, interesting and attractive - I can't have a nest of 10 thousand of them guarding the rakes and spades

I've dredged up from the back of my mind a statistic - something like 1 in 25 UK gardens with a pond will have a grass snake in it. Mine, unfortunately, is one of the 24 others without this lovely and fascinating reptile. So when I heard that a

go through this behaviour in autumn, and only the fertilised queens (females) survive through winter. In the 'solitary' species, the bees develop in their mainly subterranean nests, and although the grubs may finish feeding on the stored stocks

overfed garden spiders, Araneus diadematus, are sitting in stately plumpness in the centres.Several of the webs already have dead wasps stored in them, all spun around with silk. I am always slightly amazed that spiders are able to subdue such large