Did u know?Don't get the"ick"with insects,because to a greater or lesser extent,many of them are crucial in the pollination process.Their lives spent living in,on,around,off flowers means their activities transport pollen from flower to flower,pollinating as they go.Even ants are pollinators. 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🪲🐜

Have you taken part in @savebutterflies.bsky.social Big Butterfly Count yet? It's a bumper year for butterflies, so get your readings in & make your sightings matter. 🌿🌱🌍🦋🐛🇬🇧🌱🪲

Did u know? Why wouldn't anyone want to have the experience of seeing metamorphosis in action? It deepens your respect for nature. I'm so enjoying watching my caterpillars turn from squidgy munchers to spiky starship pupae. I can't wait for the adults to start emerging in a couple of weeks. 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🪲🐛🦋

Did u know?Don't spray,celebrate the presence of aphids on your plants.Their presence feeds entire generations of animals:birds (especially bluetits),ladybirds(both adults & larvae),all sorts of parasitoid wasps,lacewing larvae,earwigs, hoverfly larvae,midge larvae & predatory beetles-result!🌱🌿🇬🇧🌱🌍🪲🐦‍⬛

Did u know?This is a neat, easy & beautiful thing to do in your veg garden. Grow Calendula, or Marigolds around its perimeter,or where there are gaps between veg.The flowers will bring pollinators in; keep weeds down; deter, so say pests, like aphids & create shade to minimise moisture loss. 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🪲🐝

Did u know? I didn't realise that caterpillars were footie fans. These Large White cats were definitely doing a Mexican Wave.... Why not leave a few caterpillars on your plants - birds will feed them to their babies & also it's good to share. There's enough food for everyone. 🌱🌿🇬🇧🌱🐛🌍🦋🪲

Did u know? Let's have a bit more wasp love out there, because wasps play an essential role in a balanced natural world. They are major pollinators (food for the adults) & also population controllers (consuming insects like aphids & larvae - food for their young) Celebrate the small. 🌱🌿🇬🇧🌱🌍🪲

Did u know?Life has become sanitised for us.The provenance of our food is convoluted,as is our understanding of how/where it's produced.Seeing nature seek its own food,is a reminder that death is important for life;that it only takes what it needs,with no waste,keeping everything in balance. 🌱🌿🇬🇧🌱🌍🕷️🪰

Did u know?Most of us don't have time to grow our own food.The answer for busy lives is perennial veg.In 1 of my borders,I grow all perennials.Here's a list & they're nutritious & delish too:Rhubarb, Perennial Broccoli,Good King Henry,Garlic Cress,perennial herbs, Gooseberries & Chard.Go grow 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🥦

Did u know? In nature there's no concept of "waste" - that's a man-made evil. Nothing is ever wasted & becomes either food or home to someone. Look at how scores of woodlice are using this redundant snail shell as a home in the hot weather. Watering my Bayleaf sapling flushed them out. 🌍🪲🌱🌿🇬🇧🌱

Did u know?To appreciate the wonder of insects,it's great to set up an insect vivarium where you can & watch them feed & develop.I've set one up for my newly emerged Large White b'fly 🐛 It'll be interesting to see if they transfer easily to new food plants-radish & nasturtiums from the kale. 🌱🌿🇬🇧🌱🪲🐛🌍

Did u know? Modern life has become too reliant on chemicals - this has to stop if we're to secure a safe future for new generations.I'm an organic gardener & that includes not killing the 🐛who want to eat my veg.There's always a safer way,like barriers/relocation to alternative food plants. 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🐛🪲

Did u know? If you have lots of plant ground cover, it shouldn't be necessary to water all plants during the heatwave. Some plants are especially important if they're hosting insects.My Ragwort plants are feeding my Cinnabar moth 🐛.I need to keep those watered, as that'll hydrate the 🐛 too. 🌱🌿🇬🇧🌱🌍🐛🪲🦋

Why compost? It turns"waste"into soil food; returns nutrients to the soil; reduces yr waste footprint; reduces the need for petrol-based fertilisers; improves the health of anything you grow; prevents soil erosion;invites us to connect with skills our ancients used;connects us back with 🌍 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🥦🫛🍂🪱🦠

Did u know? Caterpillars are essential food for nestling birds - they're full of moisture & nutrients & are easy for them to swallow. Baby birds are fed approx 5,000 caterpillars by their parents before they leave the nest, so learn to love your larvae. 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🐦‍⬛🐛

Did u know?Zombies are a thing. This🐞has been parasitized by a tiny wasp.It laid an egg inside the🐞 which hatched & ate its insides,leaving enough to keep the🐞"alive".It took over its brain so when the larva formed a pupa the zombie 🐞 kept guard of the pupa until the wasp emerged & the🐞died. 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🐞🌍🪲

Did u know? With hotter,drier summers it's a challenge to keep plants hydrated.I have 3 wildlife ponds for small souls who live in my garden,but what about the plants? To lock moisture in,use an organic mulch like straw/wool,or you can add bottles with holes in the tops for slow release water. 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌍💦

Did u know?Social wasps get a bad rap,but we should celebrate them for their paper making skills.This worker scrapes wood fibres from a fence which'll be processed in her nest by mixing it with saliva,breaking the wood down into papier maché which is moulded into new nest cells for her young. 🌍🪲🌱🌿🇬🇧🌱

Did u know?Can this be true?I'm interested to know -has anyone heard of a Small White butterfly laying eggs on radish plants?The larvae are hatching & feeding too,which I'm amazed at & very happy with,as this patch isn't producing edible veg now. I'm hoping these will keep them off my kale. 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🐛🦋🪲🌍

Did u know?Butterflies can't get all the nutrients they need from nectar. To fill the nutrients gap & obtain certain minerals, amino acids & salts for their diet, they suck liquid from nutrient-rich sources like fresh cowpats - like this Marbled White,muddy puddles,animal carcases,even sweat.🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🦋🪲

Did u know? My tiny greenhouse acts as a handy moth trap. It's always fascinating to see what small souls need releasing. This is a fabulous Scarlet Tiger Moth. It's in my garden because I grow its larval food - Green Alkanet & Comfrey & adult food - Red Valerian & Hemp. Celebrate the small.🌱🌿🇬🇧🌱🌍🪲🐛🦋

Did u know? Ladies Bedstraw is a fab plant to add to your no-mow lawn. Its name comes from the fact that its sweet, frothy flowers were used as a stuffing for pillows. For wildlife, it's the larval food plant for the Elephant Hawk-moth & Small Elephant Hawk-moth. Go on, get frothy.🌱🌿🇬🇧🌱🌍🪲🐛

This book is great on how to go about it. My frogs love the gastropods in my veg patch....

Let them set seed first. Then you could try using shears, rather than a strimmer - slower & a better chance to avoid wounding small souls like this one...

Did u know?Holding this small soul makes wildlife gardening worthwhile. If I'd used pesticides in my garden,I would've poisoned him;if I'd mown my lawn,I would've chopped him with blades;if I weeded to destruction,I would've destroyed cool places for him to hide in safety. Be froglet-friendly 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🐸

Did u know?You're missing out on fab wildflowers in yr lawns because of mowing.Meet,Self-Heal.It'll be growing in yr lawn because its habitats are wild verges/meadows.It's reputed to have healing powers & it's fab for pollinators,esp' bees & butterflies & it lks gorgeous too.Cut out the cut.🌱🌿🇬🇧🌱🌍🪲🦋🐝

Did u know? Some caterpillars spin a silken den while they're developing. This gives them somewhere to hide from predators & weather extremes. Their home is precious to them - see how this(I think)Painted Lady b'fly larva eats Cardoon leaves, but stays in contact with its den as it munches 🌱🌿🇬🇧🌱🌍🪲🐛🦋

Did u know? Growing up, as well as along is great for wildlife in your outside space. It adds extra flowers & food for pollinators & other animals; it creates shade for small souls in ever hotter summers; it provides material for nest building & it creates a wildlife highway for safety 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🪲🦔🐦‍⬛🐝🐸

Did u know? Some insect phenomena look scary, but aren't. When honey bees swarm, they're simply following their queen to find a new home. As they have no young to protect,they're very relaxed & gentle. My friend who filmed this was wary, but the bees were just passing through..🌿🇬🇧🌱🌍🪲🐝

Did u know? To combat the harmful effects of heat during our ever hotter summers, let your plants grow large & spread out, cheek-by-jowl, creating an uninterrupted cool canopy that protects small souls who shelter in its depths; it also traps moisture in & keep temps down - Looks fab too. 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🪲🐸🦔🐦‍⬛