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From the Box to the Yox — how did our rivers get their names?
British river names trip off the tongue like nonsense of Edward Lear, but the meanings behind these great watercourses run deep.
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What it's like to live and work in a National Park
Cumbrian farmer Douglas Chalmers weighs the pros and cons of living in a national park.
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'The countryside can pull us together, a connecting point for a nation that sometimes feels as though it is falling apart'
After 75 years, the job required of national parks has changed. They now need to be hothouses of Nature recovery, and it’s time we got on with it, says Julian Glover.
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Meet the dry-stone wallers who restored a 300-year-old sheep pen in Cumbria
Craftsmen Steven Allen and Trevor Stamper hope restored this historic sheepfold as part of a wider campaign to help support and promote common-land grazing
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Organic farmed salmon is a 'misnomer' and certification should stop, claim fish conservation charities
In an open letter to the Soil Association, WildFish and more than 30 other organisations have questioned the organic certification schemes for farmed salmon in Scotland.
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83% of England's rivers show 'high pollution' levels as sewage and agricultural waste flow into the waterways
Data collected by more than 640 anglers across the country have found that our rivers are in a perilous state.
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Far better than its bite — what's really going on in the secret world of tree bark
A vital source of food, a pharmacy and a haven for wildlife, a tree's living skin is a surprisingly sophisticated surface.
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The vegan farce that is 'bee-free' honey will spell disaster for bees, farmers and all of us
Our columnist Agromenes ridicules the notion the bee-free honey is a kindness to bees.
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The weather lore of January that claims to predict the future
Predicting the weather using folklore is not as lackadaisical as it might seem, says Lia Leendertz, as she reveals what we can look forward to this month.
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On the night watch: The lives of Britain's nocturnal creatures
As the diurnal delights of the animal kingdom slip into a deep slumber, John Lewis-Stempel explores the velvety black shadows where the wild things are.
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10 truly breathtaking images from Country Life to celebrate the landscapes and seasons of Britain
Take a look at some of the great depictions of the seasons and landscapes of Britain, as celebrated in the new book 'Country Life: 125 Years of Countryside Living in Great Britain'.
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The Wisdom of Sheep, by Rosamund Young: An exclusive extract for Country Life
Rosamund Young, best-selling author of 'The Secret Life of Cows', has a new book out book called 'The Wisdom of Sheep & Other Animals'. We have an exclusive extract for Country Life readers.
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The magic of the Rowan tree
When it comes to driving away witches or keeping off evil, nothing beats the rowan tree, with its gleaming scarlet berries and pentagram markings. Aeneas Dennison walks into a forest of myths.
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Jurassic bark: The 200 million-year-old trees rescued from extinction and now thriving across Britain
The Wollemi tree thrived hundreds of millions of years ago, and was thought to have disappeared some 90 million years ago — but a chance discovery brought it back, and it's now thriving in Britain as Annunciata Elwes reports.
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Curious Questions: What should you do if bats take up residence in your roof?
Watching bats flit across the night sky might be captivating, but their presence can be a challenge for the homeowners in whose roofs they roost. Jane Wheatley reports on what to do if a colony has taken up residence.
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The 25 stunning images shortlisted for Wildlife Photographer of the Year's People's Choice award
Voting is now open for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year's People's Choice award — take a look at all 25 shortlisted images.
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Spiders' webs: Tougher than steel or Kevlar, the miracle material of Nature's tiny assassins
Whether woven to ensnare unsuspecting victims or to cocoon precious eggs, spider silk is a wonder of Nature, each translucent thread so fragile, yet stronger than steel, says Simon Lester.
