What does a bumblebee look like? Far too many children have no idea
Children are losing touch with the countryside, according to a new survey, and are unaware what common wildlife and plants look like. 82% of children can’t recognise an oak leaf – and 83% don’t know a bumblebee when they see one.
Only half of five- to sixteen-year-olds were able to say what a stinging nettle looked like. Only the most iconic species — the fox and the hedgehog — were almost universally identified.
Monster penguins 'as tall as humans' once roamed New Zealand
The fossilised remains of a penguin the size of an average woman have been found in New Zealand, leading scientists to believe that a giant species inhabited the planet between 66 and 56 million years ago.
Today’s penguins are not a patch on their ancestors — the largest species reaches up to the average height of a seven-year-old child.
Snowfall across the planet found to be full of microplastics
'Abundant levels of microplastic pollution have been found in snow from the Arctic to the Alps,' reports The Guardian in the wake of research by Dr Melanie Bergmann of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Germany. Samples from remote spots such as Greenland and Svalbard contained 1,760 microplastic particles per litre, but far more – almost 25,000 per litre on average – were found at central European locations.
Revealed: The face of an Iron Age woman
The features of Hilda, an Iron Age druid who lived to reach 60 years of age, have been recreated in wax by University of Dundee student Karen Fleming.
Ms Fleming worked from Hilda’s skull and had to battle the summer heatwave, which almost melted the wax face before it had been completed. Full story (Country Life)
Vets warn pet owners about toxic blue algae that is fatal to dogs
Toxic blue-green algae can be fatal to dogs, who ingest them when drinking or swimming in water. As the algae proliferate across the UK, the British Veterinarian Association is urging owners to keep their pet on a lead when walking them near ponds, lakes and rivers.
On This Day... Macbeth died at the Battle of Lumphanan
The world’s most tragic villain lost his life to Malcolm III, from whose father he had taken the throne of Alba, on August 15, 1057. Despite Shakespeare’s depiction of Macbeth as a power-crazed usurper, he appears to have been a good king. Read more about Macbeth’s real story
And finally… award-winning bagpiper gets booed by neighbours
Alan Jamieson, a Scottish bagpiper who is a member of the City of Newcastle Pipe Band, received an anonymous complaint letter from neighbours asking him to stop ‘the pathetic attempt’ at playing the instrument and calling him ‘a public nuisance’.
Although some of the neighbours clearly are not fans, Mr Jamieson is rather accomplished — he’s won several trophies for his music. Full story (The Sunderland Echo)
Country Life Today: The mystery of black squirrels has been solved
Our daily news round-up looks at black squirrels, Paddington Bear coins and a python is spotted in Sussex.
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Five of the National Trust's most outstanding paintings, as chosen by the curators who care for the charity’s world-class collectionAs The National Trust celebrates its 130th anniversary, we asked five of their curators to choose a key artwork from the charity's huge collection.
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Interiors that inspire in a four-bedroom cottage in HertfordshireCome for the Grade II-listed family home an hour from Central London, stay for the interior-design inspiration.
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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.
