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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.
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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.
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'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.
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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.
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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
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The neglected weed with 100 different names that 'deserves more than a passing thought'
Shepherd's purse is a common sight in our hedgerows, but there is much more to this plant than what meets the eye.
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The Legacy: Philip Wayre, the man who saved the otter
The heartwarming tale of how this film-maker and naturalist restored the otter to English rivers.
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19,000 miles of exquisite beauty: Britain's incomparable coastline
Our beautiful, infinitely varied coast has become central to our national concept of what makes Britain so special, says Peter Waine.
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The Legacy: Sir Joseph Banks, the naturalist who created Kew
The Lincolnshire landowner who was described by David Attenborough as a 'passionate naturalist' and 'the great panjandrum of British science'.
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The very nature of Middle Earth — how Tolkien's passion for the countryside inspired the Lord of the Rings
A Nature writer at heart, J. R. R. Tolkien drew on his love of the Malvern Hills and the surrounding countryside to paint his fantasy realm, says James Clarke
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John Lewis-Stempel: Never look after other people's animals
Our countryside columnist does a friend a favour, and ends up having to free a half-ton heifer from a muddy trench.
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Some of the silliest animals on the planet, captured by you
The latest edition of the Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards is once again open for entries, celebrating the light side of the natural world.
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The woodlark: the British songbird that is the ultimate masked singer
Its melody is sweeter than the nightingale's, yet the elusive woodlark seems destined to delight only a fortunate few.
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John Lewis-Stempel: The beauty of the beach in winter
On a dull February morning, John Lewis-Stempel is consumed by childhood memories of the allure of the seashore, from the rhythmic, cresting waves and slippery seaweed of all shapes and hues to the shell-studded sand.
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'The equation is inescapable. Our rich societies will simply have to pay the proper price for food'
Country Life's columnist Agromenes urges us to take a cold, hard look at the way we grow and consume food.
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Opinion: Why the 'threat' of a new National Park has Galloway farmers up in arms
Galloway farmer Jamie Blackett on duck dating, snowdrop splitting, welcoming avian visitors and manning the barricades against an unwanted national park.
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Going wild for daffodils: 'Nothing beats daffodils as a symbol of spring... they tell us that winter is gone and will not come again'
The season of daffodils is upon us.
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Six of the most beautiful waterfalls in Britain, from Devon to the Isle of Skye
Surging, 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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Waxwings: The winter visitors which come to Britain so rarely they may never see a human again
Once thought to have presaged the First World War, these exquisite European songbirds are a blessing to our shores, says Mark Cocker.
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A walk around St Albans and its cathedral — a 'welcoming place, and proud of it'
Fiona Reynolds explores the ancient city of St Albans to discover how its cathedral connects with the people and geography of the surrounding area.
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'Disconnected from our heritage' — conservation charity warns that more must be done to tackle light pollution
According to CPRE, The Countryside Charity, most of us can't see the stars correctly, and is calling on government to help fight back.
