Nature

A £150 million, 10-year programme to help save the countryside: 'Our job is to give money away to do good things'

Lottery funding is now being used to benefit Nature with a new 10-year programme. Annunciata Elwes reports.

Curious Questions: Why do all of Britain's dolphins and whales belong to the King?

More species of whale, dolphin and porpoise can be spotted in the UK than anywhere else in northern Europe and all of them, technically, belong to the Monarch. Ben Lerwill takes a look at one of our more obscure laws and why the animals have such an important role to play in the fight against climate change.

Agromenes: The new government is already delivering with aplomb — and in the countryside, it's all to play for

Our countryside columnist takes a look at the early efforts and impressive ministerial appointments of the new Labour government in Britain.

Curious Questions: Do dock leaves really cure nettle stings?

Renowned as a ‘land robber’, docks don’t have much going for them, other than alleviating nettle stings — but do they really work? John Wright heroically finds out.

From oinking fugitives to ecological engineers: How wild boars have re-established themselves in our woodland and what to do if they try and steal your shopping

Once a common sight for our Neolithic ancestors, the wild boar was hunted to extinction. Now, in places such as the Forest of Dean, they are slowly returning.

The shire horses still ploughing the fields of London deep into the 21st century

Photographer Natasha Durlacher's passion project shines a light on the wonderful shire horses who still have a place in modern London.

The cosmos, as you have never seen it before

This year's shortlist for the Astronomy Photographer of the Year has been released, and the images are truly out of this world.

The Big Butterfly Count is here — time to get out into the garden and do your bit

Do your bit to save the butterflies of Britain.

Iridescence: The greatest special effect in Nature

A lustrous play of colour alchemy, natural iridescence can intrigue, camouflage and incite desire. Laura Parker immerses herself in one of Nature’s greatest special effects.

A pheasant at Charing Cross Hospital and a woodcock at St Pancras: London's rarest birds revealed

The latest London Bird Report has some interesting findings.

The truth about rewilding, by seven of Britain's most influential farmers, landowners and conservationists

Although 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?

Curious Questions: When does summer actually start?

You'd think it would be simple. It's anything but, as Martin Fone discovers.

The M25 and A3 junction's 'wildlife bridge' shows the way forward for Man and Nature

We must ensure that the UK’s first ever heathland green bridge, straddling the A3 and a lifeline for diminishing wildlife, isn’t the last of its kind to open, says John Lewis-Stempel.

Something to stink about: Plant that smells 'like a garbage heap in high summer' blooms at Kew for only the third time

Two rare plants (Titan arum and Aristolochia goldieana) are both in bloom at the world famous gardens, but you'll have to be quick, as the flowers will only last for 48 hours.

Minette Batters: The Peppering Project is a 'blueprint for delivering food and Nature security across the country in a way that rewilding on its own never will'

The ex-NFU president reflects on a recent visit to the pioneering nature-recovery project being undertaken by the Duke of Norfolk in West Sussex.

Golden times for golden eagles as Britain's most majestic bird of prey hits 300-year high

Conservation efforts to help golden eagles are paying off, reports Annunciata Elwes.

Let the moon be your guide: How modern biodynamic farmers are using the tricks of the past

Biodynamic farmers aspire to generate their own fertility and plant, spray and harvest crops according to the lunar calendar. It might sound modern, but the practice is two centuries old.

'Living lawmowers': How hungry hairy Hungarian hogs will help save the UK's most endangered butterfly

Yes, you read that headline correctly. Pigs and cows will help Butterfly Conservation maintain one of the last remaining breeding spots for the High Brown Fritillary butterfly.

Honeysuckle: The woodbine with a scent so powerful it would inspire erotic dreams

Much has been written about the honeysuckle, of which little is true. What is it about the fragrant Lonicera that inspires such absurd conjecture, wonders Ian Morton.

10 ways to save the planet, according to Country Life

There are many practical ways in which we–individuals, groups and Government–can make a difference to our planet, both locally and nationally. As the General Election looms, we present 10 areas where improvement is badly needed.