Did you know that bees need shallow water to drink from ? I didn't. Try this handy tip to help hydrate the hardworking bees in your garden. Fill a shallow pie plate with stones or marbles then top with water. The stones give the bees a surface to land on so they can easily reach the water for a drink without drowning. How good is that and a simple way you can make a difference to these mostly underrated but crucial little insects we often take for granted.

As the owner of two cats and many others all down the years of my life I am often struck by the similarity of them to their wild cousins. I love that secret untamed part of their character. That they are so true to themselves and what they are without needing to ingratiate themselves unless they want something from us. And yet we adore them for it. Everything about them is on their terms and I for one respect and like that about them. But it is true that they also depend on us for their comfort and survival, we take on that responsibility when we bring them into our homes. The cat must be the most adaptable animal to share your life with so it's not surprising that so many do live with us. Only this week after a worrying time with one of ours which resulted in a major operation to remove a necrotic femur bone of his right hip I was reminded about our duty of care for the creatures we bring into our lives. He was comforted and worried over hand fed and watched for every little clue to his well being because he is an important member of the family. Wild cats have no such luxury it's survival of the fittest with instincts so finely tuned to carving out a place in the bush. When I watch my cat stalking a moth it's just like watching a leopard stalking an impala, the only difference is that the leopard has to and my cat is just exercising that inherent wild part of his nature that so fascinates me.

The feisty Scottish wildcat has been captured roaming through the snow by a camera trap in the Cairngorms. Elusive and undoubtedly one of the worlds most endangered animals this rugged little cat  is pretty hard to track so it must be a thrill for a wildlife photographer to get a rare glimpse of an animal that may disappear from the wild parts of Scotland in only a few years. Domestic cats are one of the most critical threats to the survival of this small cat that has been the stuff of myth and legend for centuries. The pure gene pool has been diluted by breeding with domestic cats so that there are a large number of cats that look like Scottish wildcats but are in fact hybrids. Huge efforts are being made to save them but the future does look bleak with estimates of perhaps only several hundred still in the wild but it could be a lot less.