How trees can save each other from dying with linked root systems
Lord Of The Rings and Pocahontas have tried to tell us before, but this latest finding proves once and for all that trees are much smarter than we think.
While hiking in New Zealand, Professor Sebastian Leuzinger and his friend Martin Bader came across a stump with no leaves or branches, clearly felled long before. However, when examining it closer, they found the stump still had living tissue.
The tree had been living 'like a patient on life support', thanks to its roots fusing with its surrounding offspring long before it died. This root system fed the stump with the nutrients it needed to survive.
As well as nutrients, some scientists believe that trees can send distress signals through their roots, or even through the air. For example: 'when a giraffe eats an acacia tree, it pumps out ethylene gas. Other trees pick this up and transfer unpleasant-tasting tannins into their leaves.'
Quote of the day
'Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.'
– Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Today in 1951, Alice In Wonderland, Walt Disney's 13th animated film, premiered in London.
Where in Britain can you keep cool during the heatwave?
The most obvious answer may be at the office, as workplace air conditioning around Britain seems to be notoriously arctic, but that's not going to help us much over the weekend.
Thankfully, the BBC has put together a handy list of places you can travel to in the UK to keep your cool.
Topping the list are the UK's many castles and cathedrals, which are sure to be a few degrees cooler with their high ceilings and stone walls. Also recommended are the Wales' slate caverns, as the Llanfair Slate Caverns near Harlech remain at a chilly 10c all year round.
Stat of the day
38.1C
The temperature reached in Cambridge yesterday. Fortunately, England didn't reach as high as France, which saw highs of 40.6c in Paris.
The weed that's taking over the Shropshire countryside
Overwhelming verges, fields and even rivers, the pretty pink weed Himalayan Balsam is reportedly 'choking' the Shropshire countryside.
Volunteers have been working to pull it up in the countryside and the Shropshire Wildlife Trust's river project has also been doing its part, but residents still fear that the non-native plant is a threat to their native wildlife.
'It is choking the streams and threatening not only our plant species, but also the habitats of water voles, otters and others.' say Dr Steve and Mrs Heather Bond, a couple who live near Oswestry.
'Although Himalayan Balsam is very easy to pull out before it seeds, persuading people to do so in their own areas is difficult because "its flowers are pretty."'
And finally...the best idea all summer
It's a crazy idea, but someone had to have it.
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Nature and nurture in the gardens of Bramham ParkTim Richardson looks at the innovative and superbly maintained 18th-century landscape garden of Bramham Park in West Yorkshire, home of Nick and Rachel Lane Fox. Photographs by Paul Highnam.
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If the future of Ferrari is electric vehicles, then it is our future tooIt's widely believed that Ferrari will unveil its first electric car this year. It's the signal that the internal combustion era is coming to an end.
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The brilliant tractor tribute to the NHS from a group of Warwickshire farmersPeople around Britain have been paying tribute to the efforts of our NHS workers at the time of the coronavirus pandemic — but few have been as creative and clever as this one.
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London's iconic red bus at risk and 6,000 year old chewing gum gives clues into our DNA historyCuts to industry subsidies and an increase in fares has left bus use at its lowest point ever, while DNA extracted from ancient 'chewing gum' allows scientists to decipher the genetic code of a Stone Age woman.
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90-million-year-old 'swimming dinosaur' skeleton found by dogs out walking in Somerset, and the nonchalant moths who don't bother fleeing enemiesA superbly intact dinosaur skeleton — described as being 'museum quality' — has been discovered on a beach in Somerset.
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Battle to ban 4x4s from the idyllic Lake District spot bequeathed by Beatrix Potter, eagle fights octopus and the 'snail's pace' climate talksThis morning we look at Little Langdale's fight for peace, reflect on the climate change talks in Madrid and discover the soundtrack for Brexit.
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Country Life Today: How Greta Thunberg shifted the dial on climate change — and the backlash shows just how muchThis morning we ponder whether Greta Thunberg is the Joan of Arc for the environmental movement, look at a key election — one from 19 years ago — and ponder the marvel of 'dad tidying'.
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Country Life Today: Great news for those who love our great country pubs — the years of decline are overThere is a great sign of health in the pub industry, we look back at Edward VIII's abdication message and fret about Greenland's melting ice.
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Country Life Today: Spain accused of being 'a deplorable choice' for UN climate conferenceA no-holds-barred assault on the Spanish fishing industry, Banksy raising awareness of the homeless and the woes of the Christmas jumper are in today's news round-up.
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Country Life Today: 'This is perhaps the ultimate wake-up call from the uncontrolled experiment humanity is unleashing on the world’s oceans'In today's round up, we examine why oxygen loss is putting oceans at risk, discover that action to cut air pollution brings almost immediate benefits to human health and find out which bird's arrival marks the start of winter in Gloucestershire.
