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, restaurants, and - ahem - bird tables.I'm not sure how I'd feel if I attracted rats to my garden. I don't mind them (that is to say, I'm not offended by their existence) and I'd never kill one, but I wouldn't like them in my garden (it's only 4m², after all

I seem to have created the perfect habitat for my frogs. It's not a large garden, marsh or meadow, but a tatty grow bag from last year, screened by willow edging and topped with dead foliage. It's an absolute eyesore and I hate it, but to my frogs

This summer I’ve been a little preoccupied by cuckoos. They’re not strictly a garden species, but it’s possible to listen to a cuckoo’s distinctive call from the garden if you live in a rural area. And, while we won't get them visiting our bird

at plantaholic's paradise, The Garden House, Buckland Monachorum, DevonSee how the late-summer garden works wonders for wildlife at Sticky Wicket, Dorset

and Their Haunts by the Rev. C.A. Johns, was published in 1862 by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, on the back of his success with Flowers of the Field (1851). Both books were in print for over a century, and it's easy to see why.To start, Johns

the situation every 10-20 years, inject with pesticide where necessary and replace timber when appropriate. There should be a fair few centuries of life and deathwatch yet in the place.

A few weeks ago I wrote about moving a bumblebee nest from a friend's garden. At the end of the blog I mentioned that I'd found a wax moth in the nest.Wax moth is a native, natural predator of the bumblebee, but it's one of its biggest enemies

of those from the local Chinese takeaway; I also use them for 'show and tell' sessions. They've found a 'lizardy' thing whilst digging up the end of the garden, and wonder what it is.Inside the chow mein box, curled up in some soil is a tiny newtlet

the wiser.I only get pigeons regularly visiting my garden. Last winter I made efforts to entice smaller, hungrier birds, and managed to attract a desperate pair of wagtails, a blackbird, a robin and a blue tit. They disappeared as soon as the ice thawed