CABI PUBLISHING RHS Wildlife of a Garden: A Thirty-year Study

The most complete record of the wildlife to be found in an ordinary suburban garden, recorded meticulously over 30 years from 1972 – 2002. For 2026, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is running the "Bringing Nature Home" initiative, focusing on biodiversity, while the Wild About Gardens campaign (run jointly with The Wildlife Trusts) shines a spotlight on moths as vital, underappreciated pollinators. This theme encourages supporting biodiversity through specific planting and habitat creation. This reissued second edition publishes alongside this national campaign and the book will launch at this year’s 2026 Chelsea Flower Show. First published in 2010 by the RHS, Jennifer Owen's book remains the most complete record of the creatures to be found in an ordinary garden. The groundbreaking research, in which Owen recorded every plant and animal in her suburban Leicester garden, will never be exceeded. This was no wildlife garden – the term barely existed when Owen started recording in 1972. Hers was a standard family garden in suburban Leicester. In this unique long-term study she recorded 2,673 species, from plants to insects, birds to mammals. She discusses diversity, abundance and annual fluctuations and relates these to weather, changes in surrounding land use and other ecological factors. Wildlife she monitored included butterflies, moths, beetles, hoverflies (Owen's specialist area), bees, wasps, ants, dragonflies, sawflies, bugs, spiders, lacewings, grasshoppers, molluscs, and earthworms, as well as plants, mammals and birds. She also outlines the natural history of each group. Researchers in ecology, conservation, environmental sciences, environmental horticulture, and entomology as well as professionals in urban planning will find this book invaluable. It is also a captivating read for amateur naturalists and anyone with an interest in garden wildlife.