By: Colin Spedding

Hardcover

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Gardens are most people's main opportunity to see an ecosystem at work. Even the smallest space contains a collection of both wild animals and plants. Yet we are often oblivious of the sheer richness of experience that our gardens can provide. Most of us do not expect to see anything they haven't built or planted. In small gardens, most visiting wildlife will be in the form of birds and butterflies; in more substantial gardens, residents may include larger mammals, but they are mainly nocturnal - and few gardeners look in their gardens after dark.

This book explores the garden's hidden world of life amid the grass, behind the bushes, in the trees and under stones and fallen branches and will convert a stroll around your garden from a conversation with familiar friends (the plants chosen and planted) to a voyage of discovery that includes invertebrates and larger animals as well.

Broad and inclusive in its approach, this book should appeal to naturalists and gardeners of all ages.

Get a deeper understandng of the wildlife you might only fleetingly glimpse in your garden, with this fantastic pictorial guide. BBC Countryfile I am always grateful when any creature... decides my plot is home sweet home and loved finding out how to make life better for the 75 species of mammal, 600 birds, 60 butterflies, 2,500 moths and 4,000 beetles that might possibly take up residence in my garden. And with this informative book close to hand I'm feeling more confident I will be able to identify and cherish them all. Gardens Illustrated The author proves to be an engaging and informative writer, bringing particular "So that's why!" illumination to topics such as lawn and flower pollination BBC Wildlife Turns a stroll around your garden... into a voyage of discovery. Sunday Telegraph

1. Gardens - their purposes, roles, origins and variety 2. Environment 3. Colour and communication 4. Observing wildlife 5. Cultivated plants 6. Grass 7. Trees and shrubs 8. Fungi, lichens, mosses and ferns 9. Interactions between plants and animals 10. Animal reproduction and parental care 11. Animals that occur all over the garden 12. Residents and visitors 13. Attracting wildlife 14. Ponds, lakes and bog gardens 15. Enemies and friends of the gardener 16. Medicinal plants 17. Cats and dogs in the garden 18. Houses and sheds 19. What's going on in the winter 20. What to look for each month 21. The impact of climate change 22. Studying nature in the garden

ISBN: 9781408158685
ISBN-10: 140815868X
Audience: General
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Number Of Pages: 320
Published: 10th May 2012
Dimensions (cm): 24.6 x 18.9  x 2.9
Weight (kg): 1.095