A world full of endless stretches of heather, green pastures humming with nature, horses and hounds, grouse and trout. Adrian Dangar explores.
Nature
Jason Goodwin: ‘On our watch, the natural glories of our island have been atrociously depleted’
Our columnist Jason Goodwin laments the staggering decline of British wildlife and the depletion of our island's natural glories.
12 breathtaking images to inspire you to enter the International Garden Photographer of the Year
Anyone is free to enter the International Garden Photographer of the Year, so long as their submissions arrive by the deadline of October 31. So if you have a plant portrait,…
Curious Questions: Which came first, the bee or the wasp? And why is the Queen Bee such a slapper?
The fascinating world of bees has long held broadcaster and journalist Bill Turnbull in thrall. He takes a look at three new books on this endlessly engrossing topic.
Curious Questions: How did shrews get such a bad name?
The shrew is a tiny and seemingly-inoffensive creature of the meadow. So how did it end up becoming a byword for an implacable, nagging woman? Ian Morton explains.
Shaggy sheep stories: 21 native British sheep breeds and how to recognise them
Here are just some of the breeds to consider, whether for field or table or both.
Stanley Johnson: In search of the snow leopard
The writer, environmentalist and campaigner Stanley Johnson had always dreamed of seeing a snow leopard – so much so that when a chance to join an expedition came up, he dropped…
Ready, steady, SLOW! The wonderfully eccentric (and very British) world of competitive snail racing
Summer in the British countryside brings with it all sorts of unusual events and celebrations – and they don't get any more eccentric than the World Snail Racing Championships. James Fisher…
Curious Questions: Does ‘Red Sky at Night’ actually work? And why?
It's the oldest weather forecasting adage of them all – and you'd be surprised at how accurate it is. Jay Griffiths explains all.
Why you should be delighted to have wasps in your garden, and nine other things to know about wasps
Wasps or ‘jaspers’ may have been plaguing picnics since time immemorial, but they’re actually industrious destroyers of insect pests, says David Profumo.
The beekeeper: ‘There are few things better than a full comb of capped liquid gold’
Although beekeeping is traditionally associated with the countryside, Amy Newsome’s bees actually live on an allotment in south-west London. ‘Beekeeping has become very popular in cities and is often branded…
12 of Britain’s most beautiful butterflies – and the truth about their chances of survival
Beautiful, delicate and harmful to no-one, our iconic butterflies are facing an increasingly perilous existence – that's the conclusion reached by John Wright after dissecting the myriad statistical evidence.
Curious Questions: Why don’t woodpeckers hurt their heads?
Woodpeckers submit their poor heads to punishment which would devastate most creatures, yet as far as we know they fly off quite happily after hammering away at tree trunks. Martin…
Four people who’ve made farming and conservation work in perfect harmony
Farmers are often blamed for damaging wildlife populations, but, here, four land managers whose passion for conservation is making a difference tell their success stories.
Nature’s winners and losers of the long, hot summer of 2018
It’s been a funny old year: one day the Beast from the East, the next, the longest dry spell since 1976. As a result, there will be both winners and…
Curious Questions: Why aren’t there any measures for smell and taste?
Modern humans meticulously measure everything from the widths of atoms to primary school exam results, but have no equivalent for two of our most important senses. Martin Fone, author of…
Curious Questions: Are weather forecasts really as bad as you think they are?
Weather forecasters might not always get it right, but technology is making meteorology more of an exact science than it has ever been. The BBC’s Philip Avery explains.
11 outstanding images from a new show celebrating the incredible heights that landscape photography can reach
A new exhibition shows how modern technology has pushed landscape photography to undreamt-of levels, as the magnificent images on this page show. But some things will always remain the same,…
Summer in the fields, and how to surprise a cow with a hastily-erected fence
Rosamund Young, author of The Secret Life of Cows, writes an exclusive update for Country Life about life on her farm.…
15 majestic photographs of Britain that will inspire you to enter the Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards
If you've taken a superb photograph of Britain in the past year, you're still in time to submit it to The Landscape Photographer of the Year Award 2018.