Nature
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Dawn Chorus: Gangster badgers, at home with Sienna Miller, and a fresh slap in the face for first-time buyers
Friday's Dawn Chorus looks at a badger gan
By Toby Keel Published
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Dawn Chorus: The mysterious miracle of the Cotswolds garden where 5 million snowdrops sprang up spontaneously, plus a Royal baby and our quiz of the day
Painswick's carpet of snodrops, plus a Royal baby, our quiz of the day and more make it in to today's Dawn Chorus.
By Toby Keel Published
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The farmers who embrace the right to roam: 'Farming can be isolating... it’s really nice when we get people through the yard'
Jane Wheatley speaks to a farming couple who actively encourage walkers to come across their land.
By Jane Wheatley Published
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'Were the soil a jungle, the worm would be its elephant': Why everything you thought about soil is probably wrong
Did you know that soil contains 59% of all the earth's species? As an exhibition at Somerset House, exploring its vital role in our planet’s future, prepares to open, Sarah Langford argues that it is high time soil become fashionable.
By Sarah Langford Published
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Be more squirrel: What you can learn from Britain's favourite woodland animal, plus Valentines for cheapskates and our Quiz of the Day
Take a leaf out of the book of the red squirrel, and try our quiz of the day.
By Toby Keel Published
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A dozen walks to do before you die
Lifelong walker, and former director general of the National Trust, Fiona Reynolds selects 12 exhilarating experiences that have personal meaning for her, from mountains to cities and coasts to river valleys.
By Fiona Reynolds Published
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Curious questions: how an underground pond from the last Ice Age almost stopped the Blackwall Tunnel from being built
You might think a pond is just a pond. You would be incorrect. Martin Fone tells us the fascinating story of pingo and dew ponds.
By Martin Fone Published
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The very hungry otter who stunned passers-by in the middle of Stratford
The home of Shakespeare is usually packed with tourists. This week, they were treated to an amazing sight.
By Toby Keel Published
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John Lewis-Stempel: The English village, that beguiling habitat closest to the heart
Green, pub, church, duck pond and rose-garlanded cottages: did the perfect English village ever exist?
By John Lewis-Stempel Published
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John Lewis-Stempel: Why silence is golden
Quiet yourself and the distant hum of Nature’s parts connecting and working will soon come into focus.
By John Lewis-Stempel Published
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'A robin redbreast in a cage puts all Heaven in a rage': Why this charming little bird is the nation's favourite
We’re more emotionally connected to the robin than any other bird, says Mark Cocker, as he considers why we feel so much affection for this sweet-songed, yet feisty Christmas-card favourite.
By Mark Cocker Published
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‘Look out! Look out! Jack Frost is about!’
Variously described as ‘wearing a cloak of silver’ and looking like ‘a hoary old man’, Jack Frost has attracted many artistic depictions over the centuries — some more positive than others.
By Deborah Nicholls-Lee Published
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Dawn Chorus: Nature's 'wholesale fightback' is an inspiration for us all to keep trying
Tuesday's Dawn Chorus brings you five reasons to be cheerful — or six, if you count turning an austere City institution into a brightly-coloured Christmas delight.
By Toby Keel Published
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11 things to look out for on a Nature walk in winter
Winter is a season that few could genuinely love, yet as the leaves and flowers abandon us, the structure of the countryside is starkly revealed. John Wright takes the time to revel in form over flamboyance.
By John Wright Published
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'Fractals are everywhere, even within the human body: our nervous system, blood vessels and the structure of our brain and lungs'
What do spiders’ webs, snowflakes and snail shells have in common? They all contain fractals: Nature’s exquisite, endlessly repeating mathematical pattern.
By Deborah Nicholls-Lee Published
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Dawn Chorus: Britain has its own rainforests — and they're disappearing even faster than the ones in Brazil
The rainforests of Britain, a Cornwall light show, Christmas gardens and more in our Dawn Chorus round-up this morning.
By Toby Keel Published
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'I could see puffs of condensed breath as he sang. Suddenly, the world felt fine': The wren, a little mite with a mighty heart
Shy yet bold, furtive yet fearless and fond of nesting in your trousers, the tiny ‘Jenny wren’ has a lusty voice that matches its sense of adventure.
By Mark Cocker Published