Nathusius’ pipistrelle weighing just 8g flew 1,254 miles across EuropeA tiny record-breaking “Olympian” bat flew more than 1,200 miles from London to Russia but ended up being killed by a cat.The female Nathusius’ pipistrelle bat, weighing only 8g, was…
Young country diary: what’s up with the ladybird?
West Essex: I spot a ladybird in the bush in our garden. But wait! there’s something strange about itIt’s a mild, sunny day and I’m helping in the garden – which means keeping everyone company and chatting away, like the pretty robin that always comes …
Ever heard a shrew warble? Secret sounds of small mammals revealed
Discover how bat detectors are used to capture the hypersonic world of voles, shrews and wood mice – and listen in yourselfIt sounds like the alarm call of a macaque but is in fact the slowed-down squeak of a pygmy shrew. This warbling call is an insig…
‘People think you’re an idiot’: death metal Irish baron rewilds his estate
Trees, grasses and wildlife are returning as Lord Randal Plunkett recreates a vanished landscape in County MeathLord Randal Plunkett strides through the hip-high grass of Dunsany, a 650-hectare (1,600-acre) estate in the middle of Ireland, trailed by a…
Britain’s national parks dominated by driven grouse moors, says study
Exclusive: Area twice the size of London devoted to grouse shooting in UK’s parks, threatening efforts to tackle climate crisisNational parks supposedly at the heart of efforts to tackle the climate crisis and boost nature are dominated by intensively …
Campaign calls for UK ban on pesticides in gardens and urban areas
Leading expert says outlawing use of chemicals in private and public areas could slow insect decline and protect human healthA leading insect expert has called for a UK-wide ban on the use of pesticides in gardens and urban areas to protect bees, wildl…
Scottish forests could save red squirrel from extinction
Researchers found 20 areas where the mammal would survive even if grey squirrels colonised all of BritainTwenty forest strongholds in Scotland would save the red squirrel from extinction even if grey squirrels were to colonise the whole of Britain, acc…
Secrets of the New Forest – and where to spot its elusive wildlife
Neil Ansell knows almost every inch of the New Forest, a favourite childhood haunt. He returns to share his favourite spotsIf you were to blindfold me and drop me unexpectedly almost anywhere in the New Forest, I think I would know, the moment I unmask…
Orford Ness: the apocalyptic art zone at war with nature
UFO sightings, a Nazi invasion, nerve gas trials, unexploded bombs … the strange Suffolk enclave of Orford Ness has always inspired artists, and now it hosts the most unsettling project yet It is one of Britain’s strangest landscapes, a spit of land of…
Top seeds: artists capture global efforts to future-proof nature – in pictures
Scientists, ecologists and artists have collaborated to showcase global work to protect seeds in an exhibition at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & art gallery (Ramm) in Exeter.Seedscapes: future-proofing nature runs until 5 September Continue rea…