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Where the wasps go at the end of the summer
We take a look at the last few weeks of the summer season for wasps — which, for almost all of them, is also the last few weeks of their lives.
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'Intelligent, calm, cautious and thoughtful': Why donkeys keep charming us
With the ability to offer silent, unwavering emotional support, donkeys are stoic and devoted creatures that can boost mental health and melt the hardest of hearts.
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Living on the hedge: The art of hedgelaying
The modern hedgelayer’s role is no longer that of a fencer, but instead a practical conservationist creating vibrant, thorny arteries of hedgerow habitat, says Richard Negus.
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There's dinosaurs in them thar hills: How Britain discovered the Megalosaurus
There's not much to say about the Oxfordshire village of Stonesfield, apart from the fact that it was once 'covered in crocodiles and slithering plesiosaurs'.
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Spheres with tails: our enduring love affair with the thrush
These round songbirds have inspired not only some of our best poets, but have also sewn the seeds of the countryside around us.
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'Neither fish nor flesh': The beguiling world of the otter
A creature of bewitching contrasts, the otter is ‘an animal that might have been specifically designed to please a child’ and has captured our imaginations since first we encountered its bright-eyed gaze.
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The Legacy: Arthur Hobhouse and the creation of our national parks
Legendarily beautiful, Hobhouse chaired the committee that prepared the legislation to create national parks in 1949, with the first, the Peak District, established in 1951.
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Britain has 763 different types of moss — and they're varied, distinctive and strikingly beautiful
As special as orchids, as beautiful as bluebells and as important as oaks, our ground-hugging mosses are worth a look down, says naturalist and author Mark Cocker.
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Rarer than pandas: Meet the native breeds that have a crucial role to play in food security and conservation
Some treasured native farm animals have fallen dangerously low in numbers. Kate Green meets the breeders keeping the flame alive.
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Curious Questions: Why do so many animals have bright white bottoms?
Why do so many animals have such obviously flashy appendages, asks Laura Parker, as she examines scuts, rumps and rears.
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Whistle while you work: why the sheepdog still owns the fields and hills of Britain
Sheepdog trials are mesmerising to watch, with one man and his dog speaking a language all of their own, but sheep welfare remains the ultimate goal.
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There are 200 chalkstreams in the world, almost all are in England, and they're the most biodiverse freshwater habitat on the planet
Chalkstreams were forged millions of years ago when Europe was largely underwater and developed into unique and complex habitats that we must consider national treasures, says Charles Rangeley-Wilson.
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'Water was coming in through the roof, the windows and the stone walls. It caused mushrooms to grow in the bedrooms, and sizeable bits of the ceiling to detach themselves without notice'
Water, water everywhere for Jonathan Self — especially in the places where you'd least want to have it.
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The 1930s eco-warrior who inspired David Attenborough and The Queen, only to be unmasked as a hoaxer and 'pretendian' — but his message still rings true
Martin Fone tells the astonishing story of Grey Owl, who became a household name in the 1930s with his pioneering calls to action to save the environment — using a false identity to do so.
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Nightjars: The ventriloquist magicians of the bird world which sing 1,900 notes a minute
An early-morning foray in Dorset sees John Lewis-Stempel revelling in the antics of the nightjar or ‘fern owl’, the enigmatic crepuscular bird with a purr-like call.
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The Lapwing, the bird with dozens names that is 'one of the most evocative sights and sounds of the countryside'
Often preceded by its otherworldly call, the jaunty emerald-and-purple lapwing is an increasingly rare presence in southern England, says Vicky Liddell, as she explores a new initiative to halt the decline.
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What's in a colour? The mystery behind our obsession with green
The human eye can detect more shades of green than any other colour and they are matched by a bewildering variety of names, discovers Lucien de Guise
