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Sir Peter Scott: the Olympic sailor, national glider-flying champion and Second World War veteran who became the father of wildfowl conservation
As well as helping found the WWF and designing its panda logo, he also took part in a hunt to find the Loch Ness Monster.
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Tarquin Millington-Drake's tale of 500 hours, 45,000 photos, and the endless subtlety of the wild grey partridge
Photographer and author Tarquin Millington-Drake's dedication to capturing wild grey partridge is extraordinary. Paula Lester went to meet him.
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Britain's creepiest crawlie? The 250-million-year-old Scorpion Fly
A living prehistoric relic, the scorpion fly is a permanent guest at the ugly-bug ball, says Ian Morton.
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The terrible truth about the cuckoo, and the 'monstrous outrages' it perpetrates on its foster parents and siblings
The cuckoo is a bird whose behaviour is so horrendous — when judged by human standards, at any rate — that it wasn't until the advent of wildlife film that ornithologists finally acknowledged and accepted the depths that it plunges. Jack Watkins explains.
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'The most important spring landscape flower in Britain' that 'engulfs everything in its path' — The unstoppable exuberance of the frothing cow parsley
A vital source of food in early spring for insects, cow parsley has taken control of the nation's roadside verges, fuelled by increasing nitrogen levels.
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The neglected weed with 100 different names that 'deserves more than a passing thought'
Shepherd's purse is a common sight in our hedgerows, but there is much more to this plant than what meets the eye.
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The Legacy: Philip Wayre, the man who saved the otter
The heartwarming tale of how this film-maker and naturalist restored the otter to English rivers.
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19,000 miles of exquisite beauty: Britain's incomparable coastline
Our beautiful, infinitely varied coast has become central to our national concept of what makes Britain so special, says Peter Waine.
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The Legacy: Sir Joseph Banks, the naturalist who created Kew
The Lincolnshire landowner who was described by David Attenborough as a 'passionate naturalist' and 'the great panjandrum of British science'.
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The very nature of Middle Earth — how Tolkien's passion for the countryside inspired the Lord of the Rings
A Nature writer at heart, J. R. R. Tolkien drew on his love of the Malvern Hills and the surrounding countryside to paint his fantasy realm, says James Clarke
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Some of the silliest animals on the planet, captured by you
The latest edition of the Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards is once again open for entries, celebrating the light side of the natural world.
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The woodlark: the British songbird that is the ultimate masked singer
Its melody is sweeter than the nightingale's, yet the elusive woodlark seems destined to delight only a fortunate few.
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John Lewis-Stempel: The beauty of the beach in winter
On a dull February morning, John Lewis-Stempel is consumed by childhood memories of the allure of the seashore, from the rhythmic, cresting waves and slippery seaweed of all shapes and hues to the shell-studded sand.
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'The equation is inescapable. Our rich societies will simply have to pay the proper price for food'
Country Life's columnist Agromenes urges us to take a cold, hard look at the way we grow and consume food.
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Opinion: Why the 'threat' of a new National Park has Galloway farmers up in arms
Galloway farmer Jamie Blackett on duck dating, snowdrop splitting, welcoming avian visitors and manning the barricades against an unwanted national park.
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Going wild for daffodils: 'Nothing beats daffodils as a symbol of spring... they tell us that winter is gone and will not come again'
The season of daffodils is upon us.
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Curious Questions: What really happened to the Flying Dutchman?
Tales of phantom ships are as old as time itself, but the story of the Flying Dutchman has haunted sailors for generations.
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Waxwings: The winter visitors which come to Britain so rarely they may never see a human again
Once thought to have presaged the First World War, these exquisite European songbirds are a blessing to our shores, says Mark Cocker.
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A walk around St Albans and its cathedral — a 'welcoming place, and proud of it'
Fiona Reynolds explores the ancient city of St Albans to discover how its cathedral connects with the people and geography of the surrounding area.
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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.
