One of the perks of working in the RSPB (most are emotional, you realise!) is that every day I get to see a summary of the stories out there in the day's press that are relevant to conservation and the environment.

With my gardening for wildlife hat on, I was interested in a piece in today's Telegraph reporting that "cottage gardens are the ‘last chance saloon’ for bumblebees". (The photo is from last spring of Bombus hortorum, the Garden Bumblebee, on my beloved Lungworts). The reason, it says, is because farmland and open countryside are now so hostile to them.

The article is based on a study by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, which is based at Stirling University. The full results will be published in the Journal of Applied Ecology next month, when it will be fascinating to hear the full story.

I am expecting that there will be devil in the detail, for there are of course some wonderful wild habitats that are essential for many of our bumblebees, while only a few species are actually common in gardens. I hope the article also recognises the work of those farmers who are working hard to maintain and in many places restore rich habitats.

But it is still encouraging to see that gardens that are managed well for wildlife are increasingly being recognised for their value. What we do in our individual patches can seem small beer in the big scheme of things. But add them together and they are something special. But of course you can only add little bits together if each of us plays our part.

So if you are one of those who work hard to grow plants that bumblebees love, please pat yourself proudly on the back. Without you it seems that the last chance saloon might actually near closing time.