³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Yep, this week - for the first time in my life - I was stung by a delinquent wasp. I was on my mobile phone at the time, which made for a comical conversation as I suddenly felt a piercing pain in my arm that seemed to come out of nowhere.

I did manage to catch a glimpse of the culprit, but it made a swift getaway leaving me unable to shout back, like a slapped kid to a bully: "What did you do that for?"

It was strange as I hadn't even realised it was there. But in Autumn, wasps are known to get a bit aggressive as their nests start to die off and they head out in search for food often "getting drunk and disorderly" on fermented food.

To be honest, wasps probably do get a bum deal. After all, this was the first time I'd ever been stung - which isn't bad going. Wasps, like most insects, play a key part in our ecosystem, breaking down matter and controlling other insects and garden pests. Without them we'd be up to our eyeballs in rubbish.

Plus I'd much rather be stung by a wasp than have ticks gorging themselves on me - which is whah happened while I was at a deer park last year. I was actually at a music festival at the time and I can tell you now that inspecting your body for ticks while in a festival portaloo is far from fun!

Now things are starting to change and Autumn is upon us. Although we haven't had a great summer you can really see the seasons changing. From the thuggish wasps to migrants on the move I also enjoy Autumn simply for the beautiful colours you get.

Now's also a good as a time as any to see 'daddy long legs' - or crane flies as they're also known. Like my Auntie Jean taught me as a kid, a good way to see them is on a damp night using a torch or garden light on the lawn. Here you'll be able to watch them hatching out from their larval stage into large gangly-legged adults. Gardeners may hate them, but it's a wildlife moment that has stayed with me for years.

You can find out more about all sorts of creepy crawlies on the website.

There's an opportunity to get your hands dirty during the Marine Conservation Society's (MCS) annual Beachwatch litter survey and clean-up, which is taking place at locations the length and breadth of our coastline this weekend, 20-21 September 2008. Register online or call Gill Bell, MCS Wales, on 01989 566017/07889.

Other events coming up include a in Cardiff on 20 September and surveys in Carmarthen, Ceredigion and Permbrokeshire.

In the meantime, why not drop me a line using the comments form below, to let me know what you like best about Autumn.