Nature

The wild creatures back in the West Country for the first time since the reign of Queen Victoria

Pine Martens are back on Dartmoor — but why?

A taste of the exotic: the strangest animals roaming the British Isles

Thanks to escapees from private collections and zoos, hitchhikers and releases of inconvenient pets, followed by the breeding efforts of these resilient species, the British Isles are now home to all kinds of exotic fauna not at all native to these shores.

Real-life Jurassic Park tech saving the rhino, a 10-hour nature epic and take the Quiz of the Day

The man who's been trying to resurrect woolly mammoths has turned his gaze on the animals of today which need saving.

Where the wasps go at the end of the summer

We take a look at the last few weeks of the summer season for wasps — which, for almost all of them, is also the last few weeks of their lives.

We're waking up today to a Britain free of coal-powered electricity for the first time in 142 years

Britain's last remaining coal-fired power station has been turned off for good, we reflect on one of Britain's most beautiful lakes, and take a look at a job with an 1980s-style pension.

Poems about pies, the foul-mouthed parrot upstaging Margaret Atwood and starting World War III via Desert Island Discs: Ian McMillan on the Country Life Podcast

Poet, broadcaster and writer Ian McMillan joins the Country Life Podcast.

'Intelligent, calm, cautious and thoughtful': Why donkeys keep charming us

With the ability to offer silent, unwavering emotional support, donkeys are stoic and devoted creatures that can boost mental health and melt the hardest of hearts.

One year after being cut down, Sycamore Gap tree lives on with new legacy

Saplings from the iconic tree will be planted across the country and a new exhibition in Northumberland will ask the public to make promises to nature.

Jason Goodwin: 'Ahead of the Japanese invasion of Borneo, I was told, she had memorised all the top-secret embassy codes to prevent them falling into enemy hands'

The cooing of wood pigeons in autumn reminds our columnist of his grandmother and her sisters, one of which was in a secret service in the Second World War.

Living on the hedge: The art of hedgelaying

The modern hedgelayer’s role is no longer that of a fencer, but instead a practical conservationist creating vibrant, thorny arteries of hedgerow habitat, says Richard Negus.

There's dinosaurs in them thar hills: How Britain discovered the Megalosaurus

There's not much to say about the Oxfordshire village of Stonesfield, apart from the fact that it was once 'covered in crocodiles and slithering plesiosaurs'.

Spheres with tails: our enduring love affair with the thrush

These round songbirds have inspired not only some of our best poets, but have also sewn the seeds of the countryside around us.

Charity issues stark warning to the Government: Restore nature now or risk losing our butterflies

Results from the most recent Big Butterfly Count show an ecosystem in serious decline, according to nature charity Butterfly Conservation.

'Neither fish nor flesh': The beguiling world of the otter

A creature of bewitching contrasts, the otter is ‘an animal that might have been specifically designed to please a child’ and has captured our imaginations since first we encountered its bright-eyed gaze.

'Every month since June 2023 has now ranked as the planet’s hottest... we are challenging everything on which we rely — our weather, our health, our water and our food security'

The effects of climate change 'reach right down into every aspect of the planet’s life, from the spread of disease to the profound changes wrought by rising sea levels and intensive storms,' writes our columnist Agromenes.

The Legacy: Arthur Hobhouse and the creation of our national parks

Legendarily beautiful, Hobhouse chaired the committee that prepared the legislation to create national parks in 1949, with the first, the Peak District, established in 1951.

'There is no acceptable level of peat for use in horticulture' say campaigners amid call for total ban on peat sales

Peat bogs sequester huge amounts of carbon — yet peat is still being cut and sold across Britain. It's time for that to stop for good, say campaigners.

Britain has 763 different types of moss — and they're varied, distinctive and strikingly beautiful

As special as orchids, as beautiful as bluebells and as important as oaks, our ground-hugging mosses are worth a look down, says naturalist and author Mark Cocker.

Vote for your tree of the year and help save our 'Living Legends'

This year's theme is 'Magnificent Oaks', and the competition aims to spread awareness that trees have little legal protection, according to organisers the Woodland Trust.

Animals that trespass on our railways, ranked by how often they do it

We've all been delayed on or waiting for a train due to some nonsense on the line. Now, Network Rail have released a list of the culprits.