Moths

By now, most insects have hidden away to hibernate, or they are overwintering as a chrysalis or as eggs. The December moth is one notable exception and it's worth looking out for. It emerges in late autumn and is on the wing until the new year. It is a dusty black colour, with a couple of splashes of pale yellow. Although not as spectacular as some of the summer butterflies, it is interesting nonetheless because of its unseasonal behaviour.

Robins

Robins start to sing again this month. They are one of the first garden birds to stake their territorial claim each year, so now is a good time to give some thought to where you might provide them with an open-fronted nest box. Robins tend to nest low down, making them particularly vulnerable to cats, so give your robin box extra protection with an outer screen of large-gauge chicken-wire.

Robins will aggressively defend their territory from other birds but nest boxes still need to be given some cover from the resident cat population.

Increase wildlife

Wildflowers are finding a safe haven in many more of the nation's gardens nowadays. Even the rarest species are available as nursery-grown seeds, so why not make it your New Year's resolution to grow something really special over the coming seasons. The native meadow saxifrage is one to consider if you have a damp lawn or pool margin, and another is Nottingham catchfly, which has sticky stems, hence its common name. It also has a bewitching perfume that will haunt your summer garden.

This is a good time to think about attracting additional wildlife into the garden too, whether it's birds, butterflies, roosting bats or different creatures in your pond. If each of us added just one or two native species to our garden wildlife list, the impact on a national scale would be significant.