Nature
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The curious world of the penny bun mushroom
Blessed with a vastly superior taste, penny buns are the champions of champignons and the perfect accompaniment to maggots
By John Wright Published
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White-tailed eagles: From 'the greatest wildlife crime imaginable' to Nature's most wonderful comeback story
Dave Sexton and Alice Boyd join the Country Life Podcast.
By Toby Keel Published
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Sir Francis Beaufort: The man who measured the wind and set the foundations for the Shipping Forecast
Neptune’s realm may never be tamed by Man, but Sir Francis Beaufort ensured seafarers have a way to measure the winds
By Agnes Stamp Published
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Galls: Nature's most beautiful, horrifying and intriguing parasites
A playground for aphids, wasp eggs, and funghi — galls come in all shapes and sizes
By Deborah Nicholls-Lee Published
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Five years of drought means there's only one conclusion for Britain's farmers: 'Climate change is real and affecting us now'
The cumulative effects of the past five years of hot weather are causing chaos for farmers — and there's no signs that it will improve. Jane Wheatley reports.
By Jane Wheatley Published
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The ring ouzel: The mystery behind the common blackbird's feral twin
A master of disguise, inexplicably shy and unpredictably wild, the increasingly rare ring ouzel warrants giving any blackbird a second glance.
By Mark Cocker Published
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The winners and losers of summer 2025, from foragers to fishermen, and turtles to trout
Blue skies and rising mercury have been a theme of this summer, but there are always those who thrive and those who struggle in unusual times.
By Rosie Paterson Published
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'Two months to the Moon, three for rest and refreshment and two more for the return': The English stork success story
Long unseen on British shores, white stork chicks are hatching once again in the UK and a colony is now flourishing in West Sussex thanks to a pioneering restoration project.
By Jack Watkins Published
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From Queen bees to Queen Camilla, how one woman built a multi-million pound beauty empire out of bee venom
Deborah Mitchell's skincare range has generated quite a buzz among celebrities including HRH and Victoria Beckham.
By Jane Wheatley Published
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‘Though she be but little, she is fierce’: Everything you didn't know about sparrowhawks
Scourge of the bird feeder and a master of ‘shock and awe’ assassinations, the sparrowhawk pursues its quarry with such tenacity and unpredictability that it often blindsides its prey.
By Mark Cocker Published
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An ode to Britain's wildflowers, from the London bloom which grew in the craters of the Blitz, to the weather-predicting scarlet pimpernel
Decorating the land with their brilliant and varied hues, our native flora which operate as clocks, calendars and Nature’s medicine cabinet are blooming brilliant, says John Lewis-Stempel.
By John Lewis-Stempel Published
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Levison Wood: Trekking the Nile, near-death experiences and why nothing beats a cup of tea and a piece of toast
The adventurer, explorer, writer and film-maker Levison Wood joins James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast.
By James Fisher Published
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Is there enough beauty and hope left in the natural world to counter the current state of global despair?
Trees are dying, our food is covered in chemicals and we are stuck in a deteriorating international security situation.
By Joe Gibbs Published
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Roger Morgan-Grenville: We need to reset our children's connection to nature — and it starts at school
Our schools can — and must — lead the way in teaching the next generation the incalculable value of the natural world.
By Roger Morgan-Grenville Published
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The white-tailed eagle is crafty, controversial and has wings the size of a barn door
A penchant for spring lamb saw the raptor species ruthlessly exterminated, but the beguiling white-tailed eagle — also known as the sea eagle — is now back on our shores.
By Mark Cocker Published
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Insectageddon delayed for another year at least, as warm and wet spring leads to bumper crop of bugs
A warm and wet spring has provided the perfect conditions for our insects, which is even better news for the bats and birds.
By Patrick Galbraith Published
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No job too big: Britain's native breeds can save our countryside
Britain’s native breeds and their grazing talents are an integral part of the drive to balance food production with biodiversity recovery. We should look closer to home in the quest to re-create the natural habitats of the past
By Kate Green Published
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A wing and a prayer: saving our farmland bird populations
By bridging ‘the hungry gap’ with supplementary feeding, we can breathe life into our declining farmland bird populations, but farming practices must be changed to secure their future.
By Hannah Bourne-Taylor Published
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The 'greatest battle for 300 years': England's great estates face up to a green future
The climate crisis will affect us all. All over Britain, major landowners are stepping up to tackle a warming world and biodiversity loss.
By Jane Wheatley Published
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'He unleashed a series of war cries, then intercepted the vole mid-air': There's nothing remotely common about the common kestrel
Known in Orkney as ‘moosie-haak’, kestrels are fierce hunters but have seriously declined and are now an amber-listed species.
By Mark Cocker Published
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The truth about P.G. Wodehouse: Robert Daws on playing England's greatest comic writer
The actor Robert Daws starred alongside Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie in Jeeves and Wooster back in the 1990s, and the work of P.G. Wodehouse has been part of his decades-long career ever since. He joined the Country Life Podcast.
By Toby Keel Published