Gardens

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.