Phil Sterling is a man on a mission – to convert every motorway embankment, every roadside verge, every unloved patch of grass in our under-resourced urban parks, even every golf course, into a flower-rich haven for wildlife – specifically our threatened populations of moths and butterflies.
Phil fell under the spell of Lepidoptera when he was just five years old. He would go moth-hunting with his father, also an enthusiast. By his teens, he was more expert than his dad, and went on to study zoology at Oxford, progressing to a DPhil on the ecology of the brown-tail moth, and a research fellowship at Balliol College.
It is always moths that have been his first love, perhaps because they are so widely misunderstood. He regrets the common perception of moths as annoying little grey things that eat our clothes. In fact, there are only four species out of 2,500 that could possibly be culprits, and only two of these are jumper-munchers for certain. And far from being drab, moths – especially the day-flying moths, of which there are many – are often exceptionally beautiful. “It’s a bit like Christmas every time you open a moth trap and see how many species there are, all the different colours and patterns: you’re amazed at what you find.”
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Field of Dreams - The naturalistic gem Hans Gieszen has created in former meadowlands near Utrecht in the Netherlands is the culmination of a lifelong passion
Ever since his mother gave him seeds as a small boy, gardening has been a passion for Hans Gieszen. He is completely self-taught, relying on garden visits and books for instruction, with one book in particular, Dream Plants for the Natural Garden by Henk Gerritsen and Piet Oudolf, influencing his style. “It was fascinating,” says Hans, remembering his first encounter with the book. “All those photos – pictures with mists and these tall and low plants and grasses. I realised I couldn’t do it in my small garden, but I kept dreaming and reading about it.”
WORLD OF POSSIBILITY
This superb tour of the world's botanical gardens highlights their vital role in saving the planet's flora, says Claire Masset
THE FEMININE TOUCH?
Does your garden have masculine or feminine style, and does it even matter? Head gardener Benjamin Pope unpicks gardening's gender stereotypes
'If you emulate nature, you're on to a winner'
Gardener, television presenter and author Carol Klein talks about her new book, the books she loves, her current challenges and what she's up to next
FRIENDLY ADVICE
When tasked with creating a garden for her friends, designer Neive Tierney found the project came with challenges - not least the need to include a wheelchair ramp and squeeze in a saltwater swimming pool
Passing the baton
The celebrated nursery and garden at Marchants Hardy Plants in East Sussex is now being managed by a new team, who continue to inspire visitors with innovative planting
My sweet gourd
Clark Lawrence, an American living in the heart of Italy's pumpkin province, loves growing different cultivars of pumpkins and ornamental gourds for their sweet flavours and fabulous looks
ANDY JASPER
The new CEO of the Eden Project on his excitement about a new chapter, the legacy he's left at the National Trust and his joy at heading home to Cornwall
Bedding in
In just under nine years, the owners of Arvensis Nursery in Wiltshire have created a mature garden that displays their high-quality perennials
Late summer dreams
From cool pastels and foliage to hot colours, designer Jo Thompson creates three stylish container combinations for autumn