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Brownfield land refers to those places that humans have developed but then left to ruin. While they might look far from ideal habitat, many species thrive here in people’s absence. There are examples everywhere and I’m sure you can think of a derelict building nearby with weeds and fast...

Who says that we don't have bright, colourful wildlife in the UK? You won't get much brighter than this male ruddy darter dragonfly , photographed by Steve Knell. Head over to RSPB Images to view other photos and buy beautiful prints.

This week sees the start of National Insect Week . So, to celebrate, I've picked this simply stunning image of two hoverflies alighting on a coneflower. Hoverflies are some of my favourite insects , with their intricate patterns and habit of micmicking bees and wasps. These two are marmalade hoverflies...

Did you know it's Moth Night - a celebration of the UK's moths and learning more about them. As you can see from the photo above (pine, elephant, eyed and poplar hawkmoths that came to my garden on Tuesday night), they aren't all boring - far from it. They come in a weird and wonderful...

Too many people are scared of insects. True enough, there are some (like mosquitos) which you need to beware of, but the vast majority are totally harmless to humans. And with National Insect Week coming up at the end of the month, I thought it was time to look at some of the UK's most impressive...

Did you catch BBC Springwatch this week? There were so many amazing things to see, from foxes, nuthatches and ospreys to moles, kingfishers and barn owls. But this weekend, my personal recommendation would be to steer clear of all those charismatic, cute and fluffy things. Go pond dipping and prepare...

With the sunny weather looking like it's going to hang around all weekend, now is the perfect time to see if you can spot some pretty damsels at a pond or stream near you! As cold-blooded creatures, damselflies rely on the heat of the sun for energy and so are much more active and easier to see...

I don’t know about you, but at this time of year my house starts getting overrun with ladybirds searching for a quiet spot to hibernate. I find them huddled in little groups on window frames, in pot plants, even in my bathroom! I can’t for the life of me imagine how they manage to get in...

Add a splash of colour to your garden this weekend by turning your balcony, patio, or window ledge into a miniature garden. Although window boxes , hanging baskets , planters and tubs may not be the largest of areas, you'll find lots of insects more than grateful for your efforts. Just imagine being...

The weather at the weekend was perfect for a picnic. And where there's food, there also always seems to be no shortage of wasps hoping to take advantage of it! In-between quite a bit of arm flapping and strange dancing, it's hard to find time to really look at wasps. But this image of one...

Today is the last in our series of spotlights on species that you might see during your Make Your Nature Count survey. And what a handsome beastie we've got for you! Holding the title of Britain's largest beetle, I present to you the stag beetle: I first fell in love with stag beetles...

'We have had a wonderful summer watching a pair of spotted flycatchers nesting in the climbing rose next to our house, followed by the feeding of their two chicks, and now the surprisingly noisy teaching of the young to learn their fly catching skills. When you realise these sparrow-sized birds...

Every year, we hear about lots of weird and wonderful places that birds have decided to nest, but birds aren't the only creatures that pick what can seem odd places to build a home. Last week, while staring out of my window at work ( again !) I realised that some sort of wasp was paying particular...

It's almost a year since we dug a pond in our garden - with the wholehearted blessing of our conservation-friendly landlord. What a year it's been. I only wish I'd done it earlier. There was hard work initially, when we dug a hole measuring 3.5 m x 2.5 m, and 0.75 m deep (about 11'...

My wife George and daughter Florence spent the day in the garden at Florence's grandparents on Wednesday. It's so nice that we can start to spend a bit more time outside now the weather's picking up. They came home telling me about a creepy crawly they'd never seen before. My in-laws...

Insects come in a variety of sizes and colours, but sadly, I can't say that I ever really pay that much attention to the little guys of our ecosystem, although I often see the evidence that they have been around - the intricate patterns left in leaves and bits of foliage missing as they happily chomp...

Like three tiny fighter planes, they cruised menacingly past, cagily eyeing each other from afar. Suddenly, they came together in a blur of wings and engaged in a furious catfight, ending with one tumbling unceremoniously into the water. This is no tale of Battle of Britain gallantry in the skies above...

Today, Lucinda and I spent our lunchtime staring into a tree. We had intended to go for a walk around the reserve, but got no further than the 'formal' gardens. 'Formal' is a bit of a misnomer; although the layout of the gardens is what you'd expect at a large, country house, they're...