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woodpeckers, witnessed blackbirds and robins fighting over territory, and sat a little too close to a wasps' nest.It's generally a very good habitat for wildlife: there's a mass of ivy to provide food and shelter for all manner of creatures, and something

. It was a hoverfly. Myathropa florea is a handsome and distinctive fly, both wasp-like in its colours, and honeybee-like in its size, build and vuvuzela buzz.What was it doing in the drain? It was probably egg laying. This is one of the hoverflies

Ireland and Cumbria. This is a slightly gory video of the demise of a wasp*.Butterworts appeared in this country by accident as they were brought back by Victorian plant hunters in shipments of more obviously beautiful plants like orchids. They have

. On Sunday, our ivy was abuzz with bees, wasps, hoverflies and other insects, but when this fast-food source is gone, they will still need the most basic of their primary needs - shelter. Animals coming to 'visit' flowers, or bird tables, or fat balls, is all

galls (swellings caused by tiny wasps) were used in the manufacture of high quality ink.6. The oak has very hard and deeply fissured bark (thus providing shelter for the aforementioned bugs). Hugging them may not be that comfortable, but you can at least

biological reason for this.Honeybees, bumblebees and social wasps all congregate around prominent branches or treetops when they mate. Males gather together at these vantage points and mark them with a scent which then attracts females. These 'social' insects

blues, and speckled woods.The hoverflies have appeared in earnest, and bumbles, wasps and solitary bees are everywhere. There is an audible hum, usually only heard in June. They are all squabbling over the raspberry flowers. Pond-skaters are frolicking

southern lapwings (Vanellus chilensis) known affectionately as 'terro terro', due to their call. I was in my element counting and photographing different types of bumblebee and solitary wasp, and later was joined in the swimming pool by a couple of toads

for an indulgent autumn, provided I can keep birds and wasps away.Just one more job for the week ahead: sprinkle sulphate of potash fertiliser over the soil around my fruit trees and bushes. Potash is the nutrient plants need to encourage good flowering

-nesting bees and wasps (I'll drill ready-made nest holes for them). I'm slightly surprised that there is no action "prevent ponds from becoming overshadowed by nearby trees and shrubs" on the website. I've always taken this as one of the cardinal rules of pond