New Zealand's Backyard Beasts | Ned Barraud Joseph Massie The flower of this Scabiosa

The flower of this Scabiosa species is a subtle beauty

The Corncockle is a 'cottage garden' plant of old

Hardy | Winter dormant

but more sun means more water

Sedum plants are succulent and so need very little water and good drainage to do well

New Zealand's Backyard Beasts | Ned Barraud Joseph Massie The flower of this ScabiosaIn the garden, creeping along branches, hiding under stones or flitting from flower to flower, a whole universe of creatures is waiting to be discovered. Butterflies, moths, beetles, wasps, spiders what have you found in your backyard? Did you know that chorus cicadas live underground for most of their life? That bumblebees have smelly feet? See our book about that here That some species of stick insect are all female? Or that earwigs don't actually