-
'It turns out that coconut charcoal is the best substance on Earth for nullifying astronauts breaking wind': The secret uses of plants
From ice cream to underwear and explosives, plants are remarkably integral to much of the manmade world, a new book shows.
-
Snowdrop shows signal spring’s arrival
The annual Shepton Snowdrop Festival will return for its 10th year this February, in celebration of the joyful flower.
-
Adders, Exmoor ponies and the future of the human race: Tom Hilder on the Country Life Podcast
Tom Hilder, winner of the 'Rising Star' category at the Schoffel Countryside Awards, joins James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast.
-
The evergreen appeal of winter tree planting
No decision matters more in a garden than where to plant a tree, and winter is the season in which to do so, argues this week's Leader.
-
Small but mighty: How can you not love the little owl?
What the little owl lacks in stature, it makes up for in fierce character and mythical cachet.
-
From woodland to Westminster: Can the felling of ancient oak trees be an act of cultural service?
Timber from the Whiligh estate in the Sussex Weald was used to build the vast hammerbeam roof of Westminster Hall — and its custodian still fells trees for very special commissions.
-
Hamnet won the top film award at the 2026 Golden Globes — but where in the British countryside was it filmed?
Herefordshire is the very picture of what England is in the collective mind’s eye.
-
Endangered bumblebees, sifting spoonbills and trespassing tortoises: Britain's railway network is a wildlife haven
The nation's flora and fauna have found peace in the thousands of miles of tracks that cross the country.
-
Is December the best month for bird watching? Exploring the underrated avian delights of a British winter
As starlings, woodcock and all manner of birds on the wing make their way south, Britain becomes something of a bird-watching heaven.
-
'A teaspoon of living soil contains more creatures than there are people in existence': Unearthing the dirt's vital role in our future on World Soil Day
Sarah Langford argues that it is high time soil become fashionable.
-
I was Jeremy Hunt’s main political adviser and helped put together multiple Autumn Statements and Budgets. This is what I think Rachel Reeves’s Budget means for the countryside
Adam Smith, former chief of staff to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, reflects on what last week's Budget means for the countryside and how we ensure the rural voice is heard loudly inside Budget preparations.
-
The Budget: What do we need to fix a broken countryside, and what will we get?
With the Autumn Budget looming, countryside and heritage organisations reveal what they are hoping to hear to fix the turmoil — and what they are dreading
-
Baby, it’s cold outside (even if you have a natural fur coat): How our animals brave the winter chill
When the temperature drops, how do Britain’s birds, beasts and plants keep the cold at bay? John Lewis-Stempel reveals Nature’s own thermals.
-
Retro rubbish: Waste from the 90s unearthed in 97-mile-long beach clean
The 6,482 volunteers unearthed waste discarded decades ago among the 232,229 pieces of litter recorded during the initiative.
-
Dangerous beasts (and where to find them): Britain's animals that are best left alone
John Lewis-Stempel provides a miscellany of our otherwise benign land’s more fearsome critters.
-
Mystery, muse and metaphor: There's more to fog than meets the eye
Smothering, transformative and beautiful, fog’s close-set shroud has inspired titans of literature, cinema and art — and forces the rest of us to look at the world a little closer.
-
Take a bough: How — and why — you should plant a mature tree
For instant impact in a newly landscaped garden, there’s nothing quite like planting mature trees or native hedgerow plants for transformative and long-lasting results.
-
'It makes me feel as if I’ve done a good job as a father and that I did the right thing in wanting us to have a house here': David Beckham on why the countryside matters so much to him and his family
Sir David Beckham talks to Paula Minchin about discovering the joys of beekeeping and gardening.
-
‘The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the second best time is now'
Now is the time to firstly, hug a tree, and secondly, plant some more — in increasingly imaginative ways.
-
‘Once upon a time they covered an area the size of Ireland’: The restoration of Britain’s native oyster reefs is shaping future marine projects around the world
Jane Wheatley reports on an innovative project to restore Britain’s once plentiful native oyster reefs in Tyne & Wear.
-
The secret life of seeds: The little wonders that sustain all life on Earth
They might not be especially striking to look at — if you can see them at all — but seeds are among the natural world’s most awe-inspiring marvels.
