Eight beautiful photographs from Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2019
The Natural History Museum's peerless nature photography competition always throws out some wonders.
Britain's giant tortoises
‘They’ve been around for 200 million years – we’re a blip to them’
The confusingly enormous hummingbird hawk-moth
Is it a bird, is it a plane? No, it’s a hummingbird hawk-moth. Simon Lester took a closer look.
Breathtaking photographs from the Outdoor Photographer of the Year award
20,000 people entered the Outdoor Photographer of the Year award in 2018 — the winners were announced in March of 2019.
Curious Questions: Can a swan really break your arm?
Alexandra Fraser attempted to answer the question of the ages.
Can horses really heal humans?
The claims made for how horses help humans get over all manner of trauma stretch back to ancient times. Pippa Cuckson investigated.
Best pictures from the 2019 Audubon Photography Awards
An unusual piece for us in that it focused on North American birds, this piece on the Audobon Society's competition featured one of the great photographs of the year.
Why are we so superstitious about magpies?
One for sorrow, two for joy...
The world's loudest songbird is like standing next to a jet fighter taking off
Quite astonishing. You really have to read this one.
The parts of Britain invaded by Asiatic hornets
The worrying appearance of this 'devastating hornet that can kill up to 50 bees a day' made headlines at the end of the summer. Let's hope it's an isolated occurrence.
Credit: Alamy
11 things you never knew about the jackdaw, the bird that just loves people
Ian Morton takes a look at the jackdaw, a bird with a real affinity for man – despite a chequered reputation
Credit: Alamy
The delights of dung: 11 things you never knew about cowpats
It attracts no public regard apart from taking care not to step in it, but it plays a big role
The history of the elder tree: From deities and dryads to Shakespeare and J.K. Rowling
Does our love of a tall glass of elderflower cordial speak of an ancient connection with the tree itself, wonders
The wren: 8 things you ought to know about Britain's most common bird
It may be diminutive, but the perky-tailed wren has a powerful song and the ancient title of king among birds,
The incredible tale of the foxglove, from curing to disease to inspiring Van Gogh’s most striking paintings
A tale of skulduggery, poisoning, witches and even marketing men runs through the history of the foxglove, as Ian Morton
Credit: Alamy
Curious Questions: How did shrews get such a bad name?
The shrew is a tiny and seemingly-inoffensive creature of the meadow. So how did it end up becoming a byword
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The real name of a 'ghost' rainbow, the first ever omnishambles, and golf on the moon: Country Life Quiz of the Day 20 February 2025Some real brainteasers for you in our Quiz of the Day. Good luck!
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Tom Parker Bowles's favourite recipe: French onion soupThis dish is no mere Gallic broth, rather pure bonhomie in a bowl — a boozy, beefy, allium-scented masterpiece that cries out for the chill depths of winter
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'The ultimate one-billion star hotel' — and it doesn't cost a penny to stayLewis Winks makes the case as to why the right to wild camp on Dartmoor is vital for us all.
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Dawn Chorus: The birds, the bees, the jaguars, and the orb-weaver spiders –everything you need to know about love in the animal kingdomPlus a look at one of London's best pubs, counting birds in the countryside, and the urban foxes of London.
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'The whiff of a McDonald’s Happy Meal has them pouring in': London, where the foxes are streets aheadThe urban fox is as much a part of the city as the red bus or St Paul's. Will this elusive animal outlast us all?
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Dawn Chorus: Gangster badgers, at home with Sienna Miller, and a fresh slap in the face for first-time buyersFriday's Dawn Chorus looks at a badger gan
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The truth about rewilding, by seven of Britain's most influential farmers, landowners and conservationistsAlthough the term 'rewilding' is contentious, most agree that our countryside could be better managed for wildlife. Yet what should we actually be doing to improve it?
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Six of the most beautiful waterfalls in Britain, from Devon to the Isle of SkyeSurging, foaming, trickling, crashing, cascading or flowing, waterfalls paint the landscape with rainbow-scattered spray and misty plumes. Here, we celebrate these streaks of molten silver, from wild moor to woodland dell, as picked out by our picture editor Lucy Ford.
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10 truly breathtaking images from Country Life to celebrate the landscapes and seasons of BritainTake a look at some of the great depictions of the seasons and landscapes of Britain, as celebrated in the new book 'Country Life: 125 Years of Countryside Living in Great Britain'.
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The 25 stunning images shortlisted for Wildlife Photographer of the Year's People's Choice awardVoting is now open for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year's People's Choice award — take a look at all 25 shortlisted images.
