Includes index.

Introduction: On nature's trail -- What will the weather be like?. Cloud towers and rosy sunsets ; Plants as weather prophets ; Animal weather prophets ; And what about you? -- Is it windy or cold?. Measuring wind speeds ; Ideal temperatures and living thermometers -- Rain, snow, and hail. Rain--without it we're nothing ; How much rain is enough? ; How to water properly ; Changes in animal and plant life ; Reading hailstones ; Snow and frost -- Sun, Moon, and stars. Cold nights and starry skies ; Shooting stars and cosmic rain ; Phases of the moon ; The planets -- Sunshine and daytime. The course of the day ; Clock time and true local time ; The bird clock ; The flower clock ; The sundial -- The seasons. Ground frost ; Spring ; Summer ; Autumn ; Winter ; What does winter have in store? -- Living with climate change. Good water management ; Rising temperatures ; The impact on your garden -- Assessing your soil quality. Soil types ; Encouraging humus ; Useful garden residents ; Soil compaction and its long-term impact ; Preventing erosion -- Native flora and exotic guests. Green leaves and variegation ; Trees and shrubs: friends or foes? ; Invasive species -- Fur and feathers. Territorial behavior ; Those that help and those that harm ; Predators and prey ; Population explosions ; Birds in winter ; Nest boxes ; Undesirable squatters ; Animal invaders ; Animals wild and tame ; Abandoned offspring -- Experiencing nature with all our senses. Night vision ; Incensed by scent ; Tuning in our ears -- A return to nature.