Last year was a good year for butterflies. I have the lace-doily cabbages to prove it.

I suspect this year might be a good one, too, fuelled by all the extra eggs all those multitudes of butterflies must have laid. I know I’ve already seen brimstones on the wing – unmistakeable with their buttercup-yellow colouring.

You might think we can all go back to worrying about the bees now, but there was a lot of ground to catch up on the butterfly front and we haven’t got there yet. So it’s still just as important as ever to cater for the prettier six-legged visitors in the garden (though they can still b****r off the cabbage patch).

You could start with this rather spiffy and very exclusive booklet from those nice people at Butterfly Conservation.

It’s on offer along with half-price membership for a limited period only and is all about how to attract butterflies to your garden. Plus it’s by the extremely knowledgeable Kate Bradbury which is all I need to mention, really. And as if that wasn’t enough there’s a free packet of seeds too if you’re among the first 100 people to take them up on the offer. You get pot luck from phlox, cornflowers or pot marigolds – all of which are very adorable if you happen to be a butterfly fluttering by.

All you need to do is go to their website, www.butterfly-conservation.org, and type in the code GARDEN50. The code is valid till the 30th April. Good luck!

**PS forgot to mention: the offer is valid only with direct debit membership applications.