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Many of these are your friends helping to control less welcome inhabitants such as aphis, slugs and snails, caterpillars and some of the sap-sucking bugs. They are predators, catching their prey for their dinner, or for their children's dinner!

You're probably already familiar with some of these predators:- the tiny ladybird who eats large numbers of aphids on your rose bushes and the many birds who eat the caterpillars that would otherwise chew up the leaves on your valuable plants. Some creatures aren't as common now as they use to be. Frogs, for example, are becoming scarce world wide, particularly around houses where dogs and cats live. Cats are very adept at catching and killing frogs. 0ther creatures aren't as well known. Carab Beetles do not draw much attention to themselves and may remain unappreciated. Hoverflies will only visit your garden if you grow some of the flowers which the adult fly feeds on.

Frogs

Your parents may remember the sound of frogs croaking after rain on a warm night, but sadly this is a sound many children are not familiar with. You may be lucky enough to share your garden with them if it has some cool, moist shady corners where the frogs like to live.

There are a number of species of frogs that live here, Only living, moving prey(for food) will do. They will eat almost anything they can fit into their mouths such as crickets, ants, slugs, snails, mosquitoes, grasshoppers, cockroaches and caterpillars. You can understand why they are so useful to a gardener - they are the ultimate in pest control!

If you would like to encourage frogs to move into your garden, you will need to create the right habitat for them. Why not construct a frog pond? They are actually quite easy to make. Books such as "Attracting Frogs to Your Garden" by Kevin Casey can tell you how to go about it, so why not have a look in your library?

Bird Baths In Your Garden

Birds need a regular water supply if you want to attract them to your garden.

What You Need:

* A large clay pot or clay pipe at least 8cm (3in) high + A large, deep clay saucer.

What To Do:

Visit your local nursery or pot shop to buy a large clay pot and saucer. (A seconds' pot is fine for this purpose as it is only to support the saucer). If you decisde to use a clay pipe you will need to visit a plumber's supply or hardware store.

Find a suitable place in the garden where a tree can overhang the bird bath so birds can quickly fly into the tree to escape a cat. Wet festhers will hamper their ability to fly and they won't use your bird bath if they don't feel safe. (If you have a pet cat make sure it has a few bells attached to its collar to warn birds.)

Place the saucer on top of the upturned pot and make sure it is stable as possible. Fill regularly with fesh water for the birds to drink and to use for bathing.

It will often take birds some time to find a new source of water and you can help by hanging the hose from a branch above and letting it drip slowly into your bird bath. Birds will be attracted by the splashing sound and by the pattern of ripples, and the children will soon be delighted by the birds using the bird bath.