What if garden pests fought back?

A new development is set to transform a rural area, including woods and a pond. Of course, this will destroy the home of many spiders, insects, bugs and other denizens of the outdoors. But this time it will be different because these woods are full of intelligent creatures ready to defend their home. A well-spoken praying mantis named Haydn takes the lead in mustering an army. He is aided by a genteel garden spider; a mystical dung beetle; and an audacious jumping spider. Their task is to unite the varied and sometimes dangerous other residents of the woods including fearsome wolf spiders, stinging creatures of all types, and contact with an ‘Untouchable’. Find out how they successfully work together to save their homes and way of life.

I was a professional gardener in Sacramento, California. Part of my job was ridding people’s gardens of undesirable pests for which I needed to attend regular seminars. One day during a particularly boring presentation, I thought to myself what would happen if these little ‘beasties’ knew how to fight back. And so was born the idea for the book.