Money spider Every September my front doorframe is bridged by a spider's web. It is built, seemingly overnight, by a garden spider, a beautiful orb web with the spider, probably a female, sitting in the middle, awaiting whom she can devour. As spiders go, she's a likeable beast, her bloated body adorned with white spots in the shape of a cross, or, as some say, like a diadem. She goes scampering into the hedge when I open the door. I'm reluctant to disturb her, and so, touchingly, is the...

Tawny Owl Sadly, one of our favourite garden birds is under threat. Many of us have seen dead and dying blackbirds around the village recently. They are being decimated by Usutu, a deadly disease carried by mosquitoes, This was first noticed in the London area in 2020 and has now spread throughout southern England. The spread of this disease seems to be another result of global warming. We can help by cleaning out bird baths and bird feeders every week. We will expect our autumn visitors to...

As Autumn approaches, there are still plenty of things you can do in your garden to help wildlife. Even the smallest things can make a big difference to the wildlife in your garden. Ponds Male frogs often spend winter in the muddy depths of ponds, breathing through their skin. But if the pond freezes over, gases caused by decaying plant material can get trapped and poison them. Remove debris from ponds now, and float a tennis ball on the surface to prevent ice from sealing it. Plant trees...