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Meet the dry-stone wallers who restored a 300-year-old sheep pen in Cumbria
Craftsmen Steven Allen and Trevor Stamper hope restored this historic sheepfold as part of a wider campaign to help support and promote common-land grazing
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Organic farmed salmon is a 'misnomer' and certification should stop, claim fish conservation charities
In an open letter to the Soil Association, WildFish and more than 30 other organisations have questioned the organic certification schemes for farmed salmon in Scotland.
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83% of England's rivers show 'high pollution' levels as sewage and agricultural waste flow into the waterways
Data collected by more than 640 anglers across the country have found that our rivers are in a perilous state.
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Far better than its bite — what's really going on in the secret world of tree bark
A vital source of food, a pharmacy and a haven for wildlife, a tree's living skin is a surprisingly sophisticated surface.
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The vegan farce that is 'bee-free' honey will spell disaster for bees, farmers and all of us
Our columnist Agromenes ridicules the notion the bee-free honey is a kindness to bees.
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Curious Questions: Why does the weather keep getting colder even when the days start getting longer?
The coldest months of the year in Britain are always January and February — despite the fact that we're getting more sunshine and daylight than we do during December. Martin Fone investigates why the weather gets colder even though the days are getting longer.
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The weather lore of January that claims to predict the future
Predicting the weather using folklore is not as lackadaisical as it might seem, says Lia Leendertz, as she reveals what we can look forward to this month.
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On the night watch: The lives of Britain's nocturnal creatures
As the diurnal delights of the animal kingdom slip into a deep slumber, John Lewis-Stempel explores the velvety black shadows where the wild things are.
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The Wisdom of Sheep, by Rosamund Young: An exclusive extract for Country Life
Rosamund Young, best-selling author of 'The Secret Life of Cows', has a new book out book called 'The Wisdom of Sheep & Other Animals'. We have an exclusive extract for Country Life readers.
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The magic of the Rowan tree
When it comes to driving away witches or keeping off evil, nothing beats the rowan tree, with its gleaming scarlet berries and pentagram markings. Aeneas Dennison walks into a forest of myths.
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Jurassic bark: The 200 million-year-old trees rescued from extinction and now thriving across Britain
The Wollemi tree thrived hundreds of millions of years ago, and was thought to have disappeared some 90 million years ago — but a chance discovery brought it back, and it's now thriving in Britain as Annunciata Elwes reports.
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Curious Questions: What should you do if bats take up residence in your roof?
Watching bats flit across the night sky might be captivating, but their presence can be a challenge for the homeowners in whose roofs they roost. Jane Wheatley reports on what to do if a colony has taken up residence.
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The 25 stunning images shortlisted for Wildlife Photographer of the Year's People's Choice award
Voting is now open for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year's People's Choice award — take a look at all 25 shortlisted images.
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Spiders' webs: Tougher than steel or Kevlar, the miracle material of Nature's tiny assassins
Whether woven to ensnare unsuspecting victims or to cocoon precious eggs, spider silk is a wonder of Nature, each translucent thread so fragile, yet stronger than steel, says Simon Lester.
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The last peak conquered: Climbing Moel Eilio
A windy climb up Moel Eilio in Snowdonia ticks an outstanding North Wales box, as Fiona Reynolds shares.
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Fifty of shades of green: The sex lives of plants
Plants have developed surprising ways of spreading their seed, says John Wright, as he explores the unusual and risqué manner in which some species reproduce to answer one of botany's oldest questions: how do plants have sex?
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Nature's most dangerous journey? The lifecycle of the salmon
A miracle of Nature, the salmon braves body changes, hungry seals and forbidding waterfalls on its extraordinary journey to and from its spawning grounds. But now, warns Simon Lester, it may be facing one challenge too many. Illustrations by Alan Baker for Country Life.
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Why has it been a bumper year for British berries?
The sunny, yet wet summer might have been a dampener at the time, but the resulting autumnal berry haul is a feast for mice and men, says John Lewis-Stempel.
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The six most beautiful lonely trees in Britain
The untimely and shocking felling of the Sycamore Gap tree prompted a national outpouring of grief. Here, we salute the proud and lonely sentinels of Britain.
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You might think a book about the birds that lived in London 75 years ago would make for gloomy reading. Nothing could be further from the truth.
75 years ago, Richard Fitter published the seminal book 'London’s Birds'. Jack Watkins takes a look inside to see what it tells us about the changing face of the capital’s avian population — and comes away marvelling at how our winged friends have thrived despite the march of metropolitan progress.
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Jason Goodwin: How to fill the Sycamore Gap
Our columnist on how some good might come out of the felling of the sycamore in the gap.
