Nature
-
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.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
-
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.
By Laura Parker Published
-
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?
By Julie Harding Published
-
Curious Questions: When does summer actually start?
You'd think it would be simple. It's anything but, as Martin Fone discovers.
By Martin Fone Published
-
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.
By Jane Wheatley Published
-
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.
By Ian Morton Published
-
The wildlife safaris you can take without even leaving Britain, from puffins and golden eagles to dolphins and deer
The word ‘safari’ may evoke lions and Land Cruisers, but you’ll never run out of wildlife-based thrills on these shores. From seabird skyscrapers to ostentatious otters and rutting red deer, Ben Lerwill discovers the best British Nature trips on offer.
By Ben Lerwill Published
-
Curious Questions: Were Mallory and Irvine the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest?
It’s now 100 years since George Mallory and Andrew ‘Sandy’ Irvine disappeared high on Everest; speculation about their achievements has been rife ever since. Robin Ashcroft takes a broad perspective
By Country Life Published
-
Packing a pinch: Everything you could ever want to know about the UK's crabs
Some are delicious to eat, some live thousands of feet underwater, some are the size of a fingernail. Step into the world of these curious crustaceans.
By Helen Scales Published
-
Sir Peter Scott: the Olympic sailor, national glider-flying champion and Second World War veteran who became the father of wildfowl conservation
As well as helping found the WWF and designing its panda logo, he also took part in a hunt to find the Loch Ness Monster.
By Kate Green Published
-
Tarquin Millington-Drake's tale of 500 hours, 45,000 photos, and the endless subtlety of the wild grey partridge
Photographer and author Tarquin Millington-Drake's dedication to capturing wild grey partridge is extraordinary. Paula Lester went to meet him.
By Paula Lester Published
-
Britain's creepiest crawlie? The 250-million-year-old Scorpion Fly
A living prehistoric relic, the scorpion fly is a permanent guest at the ugly-bug ball, says Ian Morton.
By Ian Morton Published
-
The terrible truth about the cuckoo, and the 'monstrous outrages' it perpetrates on its foster parents and siblings
The cuckoo is a bird whose behaviour is so horrendous — when judged by human standards, at any rate — that it wasn't until the advent of wildlife film that ornithologists finally acknowledged and accepted the depths that it plunges. Jack Watkins explains.
By Jack Watkins Published
-
From the 'gatekeeper' to the 'Scotch argus', where did butterflies and moths get their strange names?
Members of the Society of Aurelians were artists, designers, silk traders and men-of-letters. So what inspired them to coin the many names of butterflies and moths we use today? The answer, reveals Peter Marren is beauty.
By Country Life Published
-
'The most important spring landscape flower in Britain' that 'engulfs everything in its path' — The unstoppable exuberance of the frothing cow parsley
A vital source of food in early spring for insects, cow parsley has taken control of the nation's roadside verges, fuelled by increasing nitrogen levels.
By Vicky Liddell Published
-
The mystery of the hedge: How an exhibition on these living walls seeks to explain our fascination with their place in the landscape
Gareth Gardner wondered if he was the only photographer interested in hedges. Now he has the answer.
By James Fisher Published
-
18 of the best places across Britain to go and see bluebells this spring
We round up the best gardens to visit to see carpets of bluebells this spring and explain how to tell the difference between the native flowers and foreign interlopers
By Katy Birchall Published