-
Curious Questions: How did a scrotum joke confuse paleontologists for generations?
One of the earliest depictions of a fossil prompted a joke — or perhaps a misunderstanding — which coloured the view of dinosaur fossils for years. Martin Fone tells the tale of 'scrotum humanum'.
-
John Lewis-Stempel: Beechwood, nature's own cathedral
‘Most lovely of all’, the stately beech is our tallest native tree and creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive.
-
The 1,000-year-old sweet chestnut tree you'll find in the Cotswolds — and what to do if you have a younger example near your home
Tis the season to roast sweet chestnuts.
-
John Lewis-Stempel: The perfumed arcadia of the Downs, England's oldest manmade habitat
Home to the iconic skylark, the chalk downlands are as colourful and botanically diverse as rainforest.
-
Hedgehog numbers have plunged in the last 20 years — but help is at hand
Annunciata Elwes reports on the new National Hedgehog Conservation Strategy that's been created by two key conservation organisations.
-
Trees of God: The story of the mighty cedar
Once considered an exotic addition, cedar trees were frequently employed by ‘Capability’ Brown as topographical punctuation marks and are now as loved and reassuring as any fine church steeple.
-
John Lewis-Stempel: The deer parks that came to define us
A Roman conception that came to define the topography of England, the deer park was both a status symbol for the arriviste elite and a training ground that would secure our victory at Agincourt.
-
Mud, glorious mud: Why we should get down and dirty in our wet earth
We loved it as a kid, and we should love it as an adult. Mud is fun to walk through, play with and has real scientific benefits for our health to boot.
-
Alexander Darwall: Dartmoor camping case is about conservation and preservation, not denial of access
The landowner at the centre of the legal battle over wild camping on Dartmoor explains why he has chosen to go to the Supreme Court about the issue.
-
A taste of the exotic: the strangest animals roaming the British Isles
Thanks to escapees from private collections and zoos, hitchhikers and releases of inconvenient pets, followed by the breeding efforts of these resilient species, the British Isles are now home to all kinds of exotic fauna not at all native to these shores.
-
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.
-
'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.
-
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.
-
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'.
-
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.
-
'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.
-
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.
-
Leading landscape photographers share their secrets in latest Light & Land exhibition
Charlie Waite, Bill Ward, Astrid McGechan, Ed Rumble and Charlotte Bellamy are some of the many famous names who will be exhibiting at the Mall Galleries from September 3.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
