Britain's most popular dogs
The Kennel Club have released their latest statistics on registration of pedigree dogs, with the numbers now revealed for the first quarter of 2019.
The results? French bulldogs are still at the top of the pile, having beaten labradors into second place. Some 8,210 'frenchies' were registered in the first three months of the year; that's fairly steady compared to 12 months ago, and a fair chunk ahead of the labrador on 7,121.
Elsewhere in the stats there's been an apparent drop-off in the popularity of pugs (1,895 compared to 2,579 in 2018), while boxers are still just ahead of dobermans and rottweilers in the 'working' category. Among terriers, the big news is that the Staffordshire bull (1,109) has overtaken the border terrier (823); this time last year there were over 1,2000 new borders registered.
Finally, among the threatened breeds, the sealyham's revival - after it was championed by Country Life - is still going well but there's been a worrying dip in numbers of Sussex spaniels about.
See the stats (Kennel Club) and if you're still baffled about the appeal of French bulldogs you ought to read Katy Birchall's piece about how these curious little dogs came to have such a following - and discover how they're not actually French at all (Country Life)
Why you need to be on the lookout for spit in the garden this summer
The bubbly nest of a spittlebug among needle-like plant leaves.The experts at the RHS are asking gardeners to be on the lookout for bubbles on their plants as picture above - the telltale signs of the spittlebug.
The problem isn't so much the bug itself but rather a strain of a virus called Xylella which has already killed millions of trees (especially olive trees) in Italy. It's not arrived in the UK yet but the more vigilant people are the more likely that the plan to fight back can work, just as it did with the eradication of the Asian longhorn beetle. Though in separate news the Daily Telegraph warns that cheap furniture bought off Ebay could be leading to a comeback in the latter.
Survival of the fattest: How bird feeders changed Britain
'When I began birding in the 1960s, the goldfinch was a fairly scarce bird, found along hedgerows and in weedy fields,' wrote Somerset-based naturalist and author Stephen Moss in The Guardian this weekend. ' Today, goldfinches can be seen in four out of five gardens, welcomed for their musical twitter and striking gold, red and black plumage.'
The reason? Garden bird feeders. Moss's piece is an interesting look at how our love of birds has helped boost their numbers - though it's not entirely clear which birds benefit and at what cost to which others. 'Most birds coming to feeders are the larger, commoner and more aggressive species, they will gain an unfair advantage over the smaller, scarcer and weaker ones,' he explains, though adding that it's surely a net benefit to birds that we're helping them thrive.
Read the full story (Guardian)
100 years ago today: The NC-4
On May 27, 1919, the prosaically-named NC-4 touched down in Lisbon to become the first aeroplane to fly across the Atlantic. The United States Navy had set out with three aircraft, but only one made it — despite the support of dozens of crew, and a trail of 22 'station ships' across the Atlantic which gave the aircraft points to navigate by. The NC-4 spent the next four days flying on to England to complete its historic 23-day journey.
Stat of the Day
40
The number of extra days that midge season has been lasting of late, due to warm, wet summers which help them thrive. The research 'also found that midges carry a wider range of viruses, which threaten epidemics of exotic diseases in livestock,' according to the report in The Times.
Full story (The Times - subscription required)
And finally... if you go down to the beach today...
You're sure of a big surprise - namely getting arrested for picking up pebbles.
Heart in the right place? Probably.
Just a tad heavy-handed? OHHH yes...
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This morning we report hope in the fight against box caterpillars, take a look at what really happens when wolves
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In today's news round-up, we look at the latest efforts to tackle plastic pollution; worrying update on what might happen
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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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Gaze over Cap Ferrat in this four-bedroom French villaIgnore the wind and the rain. Imagine yourself in this hillside home with some of the best views the Mediterranean can offer.
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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.
