The Bumblebee Flies Anyway
Page 20
Hoverfly Volucella bombylans
Hoverfly Volucella inanis
White fly Trialeurodes vaporariorum
White-footed hoverfly Platycheirus albimanus
Pond life
Common blue damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum
Common darter dragonfly Sympetrum striolatum
Diving beetle Agabus bipustulatus
Large red damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula
Pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis
Rose leaf miner Stigmella anomalella
Spiders and harvestmen
Garden spider Araneus diadematus
Giant house spider Eratigena atrica
Harvestmen Opiliones
Woodlouse spider Dysdera crocata
Mammals
Fox Vulpes vulpes
Grey squirrel Sciurus carolinensis
Other critters
Black ant Lasius niger
Black bean aphid Aphis fabae
Common centipede Lithobius forficatus
Common pill woodlouse Armadillidium vulgare
Common rough woodlouse Porcellio scaber
Common striped woodlouse Philoscia muscorum
Common woodlouse Oniscus asellus
Earthworms Lumbricina
Froghopper Issus coleoptratus
Leaf miner Agromyzidae
Mosquito Culicidae
Non-biting midge Chironomidae
Rose aphid Macrosiphum rosae
Rose sawfly Arge pagana/Arge ochropus
Rove beetles Staphylinidae
Willowherb aphid Aphis epilobii
Author acknowledgements
Thank you…
To my agent, Jane Turnbull and my editor, Julie Bailey, both of whom took a chance on my half-baked idea of writing a book about a garden I hadn’t started. And to my copy-editor, Mari Roberts, who showed me how to write a book, and for her kindness and patience when I wanted to make so many last-minute changes after all the work she had done. To illustrator extraordinaire Jessie Ford, for my wonderful cover, and to Rachel Nicholson, Kealey Rigden, Hannah Paget and everyone at Bloomsbury.
To Helen Ginn, who not only gave me her greenhouse and lots of plants, a bumblebee nest and hours of cups of tea and chats but who also read my manuscript and offered unbiased, sensible advice, all while finishing her own book and looking after baby twins. You’re amazing, really.
To Adrian Thomas for showing me where the nightingales are. To Michael Blencowe for sending me seeds. To Ben Darvill for always being on hand with bumblebee queries, to Twitter for being endlessly clever and entertaining.
To Andrew and Louise Donald, thank you for looking after the garden and for not putting a tennis court over it after all.
To Jo Wright and Pete Connolly for providing information about the garden at 86 when Mum wasn’t able to.
To the doctors and nurses at Heartlands, Queen Elizabeth and Solihull hospitals for caring for Mum and saving her life. To the cleaners and porters who made her recovery more comfortable, to the therapists who helped her adjust back to the real world.
To my family for just about holding things together, and for allowing me to tell this story. To Trudi. To the red-tailed bumblebee that came into my life all those years ago, and to Jonny for throwing that smelly old duvet into the yard.
If you want to learn more…
If you want to learn more about, or create habitats for, wildlife in your garden, these are some of my favourite books, which you might like too. Some are out of print so you’ll need to hunt them down in charity shops or online, but they’re worth it. I’ve also included my first book, The Wildlife Gardener, a practical guide to creating habitats for wildlife in your garden, and below the books I’ve listed websites for just some of the many organisations working hard to help wildlife.
The Wildlife Gardener by Kate Bradbury (White Owl Books, 2017)
Our Garden Birds by Matt Sewell (Ebury, 2012)
Organic Gardening by Charles Dowding (Green Books, 2013)
Gardening for Birdwatchers by Mike Toms and Ian and Barley Wilson (British trust for Ornithology, 2008)
Hedgehogs by Pat Morris (Whittet Books, 2014)
Frogs and Toads by Trevor Beebee (Whittet Books, 1997)
The Secret Life of Garden Birds by Dominic Couzens (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2004)
The Secret Life of Flies by Erica McAlister (The Natural History Museum, 2017)
Field Guide to the Bumblebees of Great Britain and Ireland by Mike Edwards and Martin Jenner (Ocelli, 2009)
Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland by Steven Falk and Richard Lewington (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2015)
Butterflies of Britain and Ireland by Jeremy Thomas and Richard Lewington (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014)
A Natural History of Ladybird Beetles by M.E.N. Majerus, H.E. Roy and P.M.J. Brown. (Cambridge University Press, 2016)
Beetles (Collins New Naturalist Library) by Richard Jones (HarperCollins, 2018)
Field Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of Great Britain and Ireland by Steve Brooks and Steve Cham (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014)
Amphibian and Reptile Groups of the UK
arguk.org
Bat Conservation Trust
bats.org.uk
British Dragonfly Society
british-dragonflies.org.uk
British Hedgehog Preservation Society
britishhedgehogs.org.uk
British Trust for Ornithology
bto.org
Buglife
buglife.org.uk
Bumblebee Conservation Trust
bumblebeeconservation.org
Butterfly Conservation
butterfly-conservation.org
Flora locale
floralocale.org
Froglife
froglife.org
Hawk and Owl Trust
hawkandowl.org
Moths Count
mothscount.org
Red Squirrel Survival Trust
rsst.org.uk
The RSPB
rspb.org.uk
Swift Conservation
swift-conservation.org
The Mammal Society
mammal.org.uk
The RHS
rhs.org.uk
The Wildlife Trusts
wildlifetrusts.org
UK Ladybird Survey
ladybird-survey.org
Wild About Gardens
wildaboutgardens.org.uk
WWF UK
wwf.org.uk
Index
agapanthus here
alkanet, green here, here
alliums here, here, here
amphibians here, here, here
anemones, Japanese here, here, here, here
Anthophora durcata here
ants here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
aphids here, here, here, here, here
apple trees here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
artichokes here, here
ash trees here, here
aubergines here, here, here
avens here, here
bats here, here
beech trees here
bees here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
bee hotels here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
blue mason bee here, here, here, here, here
brown-banded carder bee here
ground-nesting bees here
hairy-footed flower bee here
honeybee here, here
leafcutter bee here, here, here, here, here, here, here
moss carder bee here
red mason bee here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
solitary bees here
toothed flower bee here
wool carder bee here, here
beetles here
whirligig beetles here
bellflower, Serbian here
bindweed here, here, here, here,here
birch trees here, here, h
ere
bird feeders here, here, here
bird’s foot trefoil here, here, here
birds here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
bistort, common here, here, here
blackbirds here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
blackcaps here
blackflies here
Blencowe, Michael here, here
Bombus hortorum here
muscorum here
pascuorum here, here
bonfires here
borage here, here, here
box here, here, here, here
bracken here, here
brambles here, here, here
buckthorn here
buddleias here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
bugle here
Bumblebee Conservation Trust here
bumblebees here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
garden bumblebee here
great yellow bumblebee here
red-tailed bumblebee here, here
removing nests here
rescuing here
white-tailed bumblebee here
butterflies here, here, here, here, here, here, here
brimstone here
comma here
holly blue here, here, here
large white here, here
long-tailed blue here
meadow brown here
orange-tip here
painted lady here
peacock here, here
red admiral here, here, here
skipper here
small tortoiseshell here, here, here, here
small white here, here
speckled wood here
white-letter hairstreak here
Butterfly Conservation here
buzzards here, here
caterpillars here, here, here, here, here, here, here
elephant hawkmoth here, here
woolly bear here
centipedes here
chaffinches here, here, here, here, here
cherry trees here, here, here, here
chiffchaffs here, here, here, here, here
chives here
clematis here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
clover, red here, here, here, here, here, here
white here, here, here, here
comfrey here, here
communal gardens here
compost here, here, here, here
coots here
cormorants here
cornflowers here, here, here
cosmos here, here
cotoneaster here, here
Cousteau, Jacques here
cow parsley here, here, here, here, here, here, here
craneflies here
cranesbills here, here, here, here
crocosmia here, here
crocus here, here, here
cuckoos here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
daffodils here, here
daisies here, here, here, here, here
damselflies here
dandelions here, here, here, here
Darvill, Ben here
deadnettle, white here, here, here
decking here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
doves, collared here, here, here, here
turtle here
dragonflies here, here, here, here, here, here
common darter here, here, here
dunnocks here, here, here, here, here, here, here
echinacea here
Echium pinnata here
elephant ears here, here
elm trees here, here, here
Eryngium here
evening primrose here
fennel here, here, here
firecrests here
flies here, here, here
centurion flies here, here
forget-me-nots here, here
water forget-me-not here
foxes here, here, here, here, here, here
foxgloves here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
frogbit here
froghoppers here
frogs here, here, here, here, here, here
Geranium phaeum here
geraniums here, here, here
goldcrests here, here
goldfinches here, here, here, here, here, here, here
gooseberries here, here, here, here, here
Gosse, Henry The Romance of Natural History here
granny’s bonnet here
grapevines here, here
grebes, great crested here, here, here
greenfinches here
greenhouses here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
guelder rose here, here
gulls, black-headed here
herring here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
little here
habitat loss here, here, here, here
haws here, here, here
hedgehogs here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
hedges here
hellebores here, here, here
herb robert here, here
holly here, here, here, here, here, here, here
honesty here
honeysuckle here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
honeywort here, here, here, here
hoverflies here, here, here
hydrangea here, here, here, here
insect populations here
irises here
ivy here, here, here, here, here, here
jackdaws here
jasmine here
kale here, here, here, here, here
knapweed here, here
Knautia macedonica here
lady’s mantle here, here
ladybirds here, here
lamb’s ears here, here, here, here, here
lawns here, here, here, here
leafhoppers here, here
leafminers here, here, here, here, here
leatherjackets here, here
lemon thyme here
lily of the valley here, here, here, here
linaria here, here
love-in-a-mist here, here, here, here, here
lungwort here
lychnis here, here
manure here
martins, house here
moss here, here, here
moths here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
buff ermine here
Hebrew character here
plume here
nasturtiums here, here
native plants here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
nest boxes here, here, here
nettles here, here, here, here, here, here, here
newts here
nightingales here, here
nuthatches here, here, here
oak trees here, here, here, here
owls, tawny here
oystercatchers here, here
peas here
everlasting pea here, here
sweet pea here, here
pennyroyal here
peregrines here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
pesticides here, here, here, here
phlomis here, here
pickerel weed here
pigeons here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
ponds here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
pond snails here, here
poppies, field here
oriental here, here, here
Welsh here
primroses here, here
pulsatilla here, here
raspberries here, here
redwings here
rhododendrons here, here, here, here, here, here
robins here, here, here, here, here,
here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
rocket, sweet here
roses here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
climbing roses here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
runner beans here, here, here, here, here, here
Sedum here, here
self-heal here
sheds here, here
skylarks here, here
Sladen, F.W.L. The Humble-bee here, here, here
sloes here, here, here
slow worms here, here
slugs here, here, here, here
smoke bush here, here, here, here, here, here
snails here, here, here, here
pond snails here, here
soil here, here
sparrows, house here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
spiders here, here, here, here, here
spindle here, here
squash here, here, here
squirrels here, here, here
starlings here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
sticklebacks here, here
sunflowers here, here
swallows here, here, here, here
swan, black here, here, here
swifts here
sycamores here, here, here, here, here
tadpoles here, here, here
teasels here, here, here, here, here, here, here
terrapins here
thistles here
globe here, here
ornamental here
thrushes, mistle here
song here, here, here
tits here, here, here, here, here, here, here
blue here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
coal here, here, here
great here, here, here, here, here, here
toadflax here, here, here, here
toads here, here
tomatoes here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
trellis here, here, here, here, here
turnstones here
valerian here, here, here
vegetable patches here, here, here
verbascum here
Verbena bonariensis here, here, here
vetch here
violets here
wallflowers here, here, here
warblers, Cetti’s here, here
reed here, here
wasps here, here, here, here, here, here, here
waterboatmen here