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'typical' participant. Although South London is one of the greenest parts of the capital, when it comes to gardens and open spaces, this is still an urban area, and I was part of only 12% who were town or city dwellers; the majority were suburban or rural

Several foxes, or the same one several times, have trotted up through the garden during the last week. As I sit tapping on the laptop on the kitchen table I get a good view out through the French windows, but I'm all but invisible to them

, but the sudden short shower had thrown up a double rainbow.I well remember my first urban fox. We'd just moved to a little house in Nunhead and there was one trotting up and down the back wall, in broad daylight, examining the gardens, looking for a nice place

it. Consequently, it's just as brazen as they get. Twice, I've had to shoo it away from the guinea-pig cowering its run on the lawn. And, of course, it defecates just as much as any tailed fox.We regularly see foxes in the garden, and over the years I

, and certainly there have been some moth-eaten examples limping through South London streets. But now I wonder whether all the recent garden make-overs in my area have seen them off.When we moved here 10 years ago, a pleasing number of neighbouring gardens

.Another ladybird that is regularly found overwintering in gardens is the 16-spot, Tytthaspis sedimpunctata, another mildew feeder. A couple of years ago these were very common clustered at the bottom of the featheredge fence slats, but this year there don't seem

at first look unappealing and unattractive, they are nevertheless home to 12–14 per cent of all our red data book and nationally scarce insect species; that’s more than you find in ancient woodlands or on chalk downs.The reason they are so important

exploring the teeth. Yet more wildlife habitat in my urban garden.