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This has been the best year I have ever known for wildlife. The local owl population has trebled and we've spent many a happy evening crouching by the upstairs window or sometimes sitting on the dining room table in early evening watching

the critters time to find alternative accommodation.But it's great to see my windows are serving such a useful purpose - the PVC frames barely attracted any wildlife. It looks like there will be plenty of beneficial predatory insects and arachnids in my garden

, not exactly a job I lust after!) I am starting to think there could be a market for entire garden shelters which allow natural light through, permit adequate air circulation and wind movement, access to birds and other wildlife... but keep out the rain

, which have now been added to Pippa's blog. These are, starting from the top:1. Pupa of the harlequin ladybird, Harmonia axyridis.2. Larva and pupa of the harlequin ladybird. Both larvae and pupa are very much brighter and larger than other UK species.3

The mullein moth caterpillars in my garden are still small, but they're guaranteed to increase in size by the day. These little critters - welcomed by wildlife enthusiasts and hated by gardeners - munch their way through verbascum, figwort

… and then the bee arrived again clasping an out-sized circle of green leaf. Yes, we've got leaf cutter bees in our garden furniture. So you see, there really is another good reason for not quite finding the time to use wood-treatment on garden furniture! I've never

What's the difference between wildflowers and weeds? They're at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to acceptability in the garden, but are they really so different? A weed is a essentially just a plant growing in the wrong place. But what

food? Peanuts are obviously highly nutritious, as are the various seeds we put out for them, but what about bread and pasta? They're hardly what wild birds in my Hampshire garden would normally find to eat. Are we subjecting our beautiful birds

full of holes - leafcutter bees are delightful creatures and I'm more than happy to share my garden with them.This summer I saw no evidence of leafcutter bee activity on the leaves of my plants, but witnessed something much more exciting. When emptying

The soil here is rock solid. Fortunately, I planted the last of the garlic last week, before temperatures plummeted. Now, I'd need to use an ice axe, rather than a fork if I wanted to plant anything.I answered the door recently to a courier, who was rather amused to find me weari...