Cuckoo Spit: What the White Froth Is
That white froth on your lavender is cuckoo spit, made by a harmless froghopper nymph. What it is, why it does no harm and why you can leave it be.
Open guideAttract and support birds, bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects in your garden.
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Harlequin Ladybird vs Native Ladybirds
How to tell a harlequin ladybird from a native 7-spot or 2-spot: check the legs, size and the black M behind the head, and what to do if they come indoors.
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Green Shield Bug: Friend or Foe?
Found a green shield bug on your beans? Here's how to identify the harmless native, why it turns brown in autumn and how to spot the southern green one.
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Bee Bars: Does Sugar Water Help Bees?
Do bee bars of sugar water help bees? Why a standing sugar dish does more harm than good, when one drop is fine, and the water dish that does help.
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Bird Bath Placement and Cleaning Guide
Where to put a bird bath, how deep to fill it and how to keep it clean and ice-free, so birds use it all year without spreading disease.
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House Martins: Attract Them and Nest Care
How to attract house martins to your UK home with grouped nest cups and a spring mud patch, plus living happily and legally with an active colony.
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Attract Robins: 7 Steps for Any UK Garden
How to attract robins to your garden: soaked mealworms on a low tray, an open-fronted nest box in cover, shallow water and a freshly dug border.
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Elephant Hawk Moth Caterpillar: Harmless Giant
Found a huge brown caterpillar with eye spots? It's an elephant hawk moth caterpillar, harmless to people and pets. How to identify it and what to do.
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Squirrel Proof Bird Feeders: What Really Works
Squirrel proof bird feeders that work: weight-activated and caged feeders, where to hang a baffle, the tricks that fail, and the law on grey squirrels.
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Mining Bees in Lawns: ID and What to Do
Small volcano mounds in your lawn in spring are usually mining bees. How to identify them, why they're harmless and the best thing to do about them.
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How to Make a Bee House and Where to Put It
How to make a bee house for solitary bees from a hardwood block or hollow stems, where to put it in a UK garden and how to keep it clean each year.
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What Wood Pigeons Eat on Your Lawn
Wondering what wood pigeons are pecking at on your lawn? Mostly clover, seed and grit. Here's what they eat, and how to protect new seed and brassicas.
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What Is a Mast Year? UK Acorn Boom Years
What is a mast year? Why UK oaks and beech drop huge crops of acorns and nuts some autumns, how it affects garden wildlife and what to do with the glut.
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Autumn Bee Plants: 13 Late Nectar Stars
Autumn flowering plants for bees: 13 late nectar plants from ivy and sedum to mahonia, plus how to keep something in flower from September into winter.
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Good Bugs vs Bad Bugs in Your Garden
Good bugs vs bad bugs in UK gardens: a quick friend-or-foe table, the helpful larvae people squash by mistake and how to let predators do the work.
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RSPB Bird Feeding Rules: What to Do Now
The new RSPB bird feeding advice explained: the May to October seed pause, why bird tables are out, weekly cleaning and what to do in your garden now.
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Garden Birds in a UK Heatwave: Water and Shade
How to help garden birds in a UK heatwave: shallow water in the shade, which foods to put out and which to hold back, and how to leave nest boxes be.
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How to Build a Wildlife Log Pile UK
Build a wildlife log pile in an afternoon: which logs to use, where to put it, how big to make it and who will move in, from beetles to hedgehogs.
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How to Clean Bird Feeders and Stop Disease
How to clean bird feeders step by step: what to use, how often, why drying matters, and what to do if a sick finch turns up at your feeder.
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Attract Wrens to UK Gardens: Cover and Boxes
How to attract wrens to your garden with thick low cover, ivy, log piles and leaf litter, plus the right nest box and how to help them in winter.
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Early Spring Pollinator Plants: Feb to April
Fourteen plants that feed bees and butterflies from February to April, when queen bumblebees wake hungry, plus where to plant them and which to avoid.
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Attract House Sparrows: 7 Steps for UK Gardens
How to attract house sparrows to your UK garden. Thick hedges, grouped 32mm nest boxes, insects for chicks, seed in winter, water and a dust bath.
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Wildflower Meadow for Wildlife: Make a Habitat
How to make a wildflower meadow that feeds bees, butterflies and birds. Pick the right spot and seed mix for your soil, then manage it for wildlife.
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Wildlife-Friendly Allotments: Grow and Help
How to make your allotment wildlife-friendly and still grow plenty of food, with flower strips, hedgehog gaps, log piles, a mini pond and no-dig beds.
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Beekeeping for Beginners: UK Starter Guide
Beekeeping for beginners in the UK. What to do first, which hive to choose, where to put it, the beekeeping year, varroa and why a mentor matters.
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Centipede vs Millipede: Garden Guide
Centipede or millipede? How to tell them apart in seconds, why both are mostly good news for your garden, and when millipedes nibble crops.
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Dragonflies and Damselflies in the UK
How to spot dragonflies and damselflies in a UK garden, which ones you're likely to see, and how to make a pond they'll want to breed in.
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Garden Spiders: A UK Guide
Meet the friendly spiders in your UK garden. How to spot common species, what they eat, why they're harmless and how to make your garden spider-friendly.
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Bumble Bee Species Guide for UK Gardens
Identify the seven bumblebees most likely in a UK garden by tail colour and stripes, plus when they fly, where they nest and what they feed on.
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Ground Beetles in UK Gardens: A Guide
Meet the ground beetles that eat slugs in your garden at night, how to tell the common ones apart, and easy ways to make them feel at home.
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Solitary Bees in UK Gardens: Full Guide
Meet the solitary bees in your garden, from red mason bees to mining bees, and find out how to help them with a bee hotel and the right flowers.
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Honeybees in the Garden: How to Help
How to help honeybees in your garden: the best flowers for each season, a safe water dish, leaving clover and dandelions, and what to do about a swarm.
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Hoverflies in the Garden: ID and Care
How to spot common UK hoverflies, why their larvae are brilliant aphid eaters, and the easy flowers and habits that bring more of them into your garden.
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Lacewings for Garden Pest Control UK
How to spot lacewings and their larvae, why they're brilliant aphid eaters, and simple ways to bring more of them into your UK garden.
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Wildlife Activities for Kids in the Garden
Wildlife activities for kids in UK gardens: minibeast hunts, bug hotels, pond dipping, winter bird feeders and moth and bat watching, season by season.
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Ladybirds: Identification and Attraction
How to recognise the common UK ladybirds, spot their spiky larvae, tell a harlequin apart and make your garden a place ladybirds love.
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Wasps in the Garden: Why They Help
Wasps get a bad press, but they eat aphids and caterpillars and pollinate ivy. Here's why they help and how to share your garden with them.
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Best Plants for Butterflies in the UK
The best nectar flowers and caterpillar food plants for UK butterflies, season by season, plus a simple border plan and what to skip.
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How to Attract Birds to Your Garden
How to attract birds to your garden in the UK with the four things they need, food, water, shelter and somewhere to nest, plus what to plant and avoid.
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Best Bee-Friendly Plants for UK Gardens
The best plants for bees in UK gardens, season by season, plus a simple border plan and a few easy mistakes to avoid. Great for pots too.
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Bird Feeding Guide by Season UK
What to feed UK garden birds each month, why seeds and peanuts now take a summer break, and how to keep feeders clean and birds healthy.
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How to Identify Common UK Garden Birds
A friendly guide to the 20 birds you're most likely to see in a UK garden: what they look like, how they sound and how to tempt them in.
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How to Create a Wildlife Garden UK
Turn any UK garden into a haven for wildlife with a pond, native plants, log piles, hedgehog gaps, bird boxes and easy jobs for every season.
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How to Build a Bug Hotel
How to build a bug hotel for solitary bees, ladybirds and lacewings: which materials to use, where to put it, and how to look after it through the year.
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Winter Wildlife Garden Guide UK
Help garden wildlife through winter: feeding birds, leaving hedgehogs to hibernate, keeping a pond open and plants that feed bees on mild days.
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