Product Description

There is no wildlife closer to us than that found in our gardens - or indeed, in our houses - so it follows that many of those creatures we love, such as foxes and ladybirds, are literally household names. However, despite this familiarity, many of the characters reveal surprising lifestyles if you take a closer look, and there is more going on in our precious backyards that we might imagine. Did you know that slugs and snails have spine-tingly good sex; that mosquitoes can dodge raindrops and that Grey Squirrels have regular sleepovers with their neighbours? Did you realise that unemployment causes the breakdown of society in wasps, or that it takes the average spider only one hour to build a web from scratch? Perhaps it would even surprise you to know that, in this day and age, it is still possible to have three Old Ladies stuck in your lavatory? (They are moths.) Written in an engaging style and illustrated with photographs and stunning colour paintings by Peter Partington, this book reveals, month by month, the extraordinary hidden world of our most familiar garden wildlife. You will never look at your garden neighbours in the same way again.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11411 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Review
'Fully endorsed by the RSPB and wonderfully illustrated, this book is part of a high-selling series, and offers information about even the most supposedly reowned creatures that will have gardeners gasping with shock.' The Bookseller (9th Nov 2007) A month-by-month guide to some of the wildlife activity you can experience in your garden. Illustrated with Peter Partington's soft wash water colours, it gives a mine of information. Publishing news (Main) February 2008 "A wonderfully written, information-packed guide to the world beyond the kitchen window" BBC Wildlife, April 2008 "Written with considerable charm and abundant wit, it is an extraordinary journey of discovery" Good Book Guide (June 2008) "This is nature writing at its very best: forensic attention to detail combined with the bigger picture, and culminating in an extraordinary revelation" BBC Countryfile August 2008

BBC Countryfile
"This is nature writing at its very best: forensic attention to detail combined with the bigger picture, and culminating in an extraordinary revelation"

From the Publisher
A month-by-month guide to some of the wildlife activity you can experience in your garden. Illustrated with Peter Partington's soft-wash water colours, it gives a mine of information.

Customer Reviews

Duff info!!
A good book,BUT it badly falls down when showing hedgehogs being given bread and milk!! Anyone who has even the smallest amount of knowledge about these wonderful creatures,knows you do NOT give a hog bread and milk.It causes severe stomach upsets and can kill them if they are already weak.I am amazed that the RSPB have not checked their facts first.Very disappointing and worrying.

garden wildlife
This is the third "secret lives"books the previous two dealing with British birds and garden birds.
The author adopts an interesting presentation by describing the garden by months-each month getting about 12 pages.The garden is considered to be anything from a postage stamp size to large country house gardens.
Each month starts with a marvellous 2 page drawing by the artist Peter Partington and a short note on the month.It is really these drawings which make the book and without them the book would be very ordinary.
The text is well written and interesting but is only a supporting act.
The photographs which illustrate the animals to be seen month by month are excellent.
The RSPB is to be congratulated in prodducing such a splendid book and I hope there are many more.

well written and interesting
I found this book to be packed with interesting details, enjoyable to read, and pleasantly illustrated. The one point raised by previous reviewers about feeding hedgehogs should not detract from the overall quality of the book.