BBC’s ‘most ambitious environmental series yet’ looks more like a travel jolly
It doesn’t take long to identify the main problem with Our Changing Planet (BBC One), the latest series from the BBC’s Natural History Unit. It starts in…
The secret history of the Galapagos – featuring murder, cannibalism and nude Germans
But the pyros got their comeuppance: after leaving the smouldering island, a sperm whale scuttled their vessel, forcing the crew to abandon ship. For months, the sailors…
Gardening jobs to do in April: a guide to borders, wildlife gardening and vegetable plots
This is the perfect time to divide and replant any perennials that flower late in the summer, such as echinaceas, heleniums and Michaelmas daisies, giving them plenty…
Dynasties II, review: savage catfights worthy of Joan Collins
In the first series of Dynasties, penguins offered comedy and chimps familiarity, lions brought majesty and hunting dogs, novelty. With elephants and cheetahs to come, it was…
Hedgehogs, foxes and bats: the wildlife that’s booming in our cities
London’s Regent’s Park – 395 acres of parkland in between Camden, Marylebone and a short hop from the West End – is an island of green, surrounded…
Chris Packham writes grieving love letter to his favourite badger after finding it dead
According to recent figures, 39 animals, including six badgers, five pheasants and five hedgehogs, are reported killed on UK roads every day. More than 14,600 animals are run over and…
A sting of beauty: Divers come face-to-face with hundreds of rays
This is the moment a pair of lucky divers come face-to-face with more than 300 stingrays emerging from the depths. The surreal images, captured a mile off…
Parakeet for dinner? If we want to get rid of nature’s invaders, we should eat them
Last month fishermen off the North Yorkshire coast noticed something unusual. Their pots were not filled with brown crabs, but the huge, spindly-legged red king crab, a…
How to prepare your garden for spring
Fergus, our painter, finished all of the outside paintwork – doors, window frames, greenhouses, water butts, plant containers and more – at the end of autumn 2021. …
Six ways to prepare your garden for spring
Fergus, our painter, finished all of the outside paintwork – doors, window frames, greenhouses, water butts, plant containers and more – at the end of last autumn. …
Gardening jobs in January: what to plant and tidy in your garden
Pick sprigs Pick the occasional sprig of winter scented shrubs lonicera, sarcococca and daphne and bring them indoors, where they will fill the entire house with their…
A cruise is the best wildlife holiday you can take – here’s how
So how do such voyages differ from standard cruises? First, they use smaller ships. This allows the captain, working with the tour leader, to manoeuvre for closer…
Why you’re doing Yellowstone all wrong
After an afternoon sojourn around the important sites – a very quiet Old Faithful, visitor centre, gift shop – I arrived in the relentlessly wooden hotel lobby…
20 supercharged holidays for the greener traveller
From the moment our alarm sounds, technology governs every moment of our waking hours. We are constantly surrounded by whirring, buzzing and bleeping contraptions, so it should…
The best new science books to buy for Christmas 2021
In July, Richard Branson went up to the edge of space in a rocket plane, just pipping Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, who rose in his penis-shaped spacecraft…