Spotty wings make monarch butterflies more aerodynamic

Find out which early species to watch for, how to make your patch more butterfly-friendly and where to record your sightings for science

Nadia Shaikh goes synaesthetic for the start of spring, almost tasting the orange tang of an early butterfly

Red kites, great spotted woodpeckers and pink-footed geese are only a few of the birds doing brilliantly in the British Isles right now. Mark Cocker celebrates their success stories and looks at what might be learnt from them

Avian plumage doesn’t simply enable flight–this miracle of Nature provides birds with protection, shape and colour and remains a highly desirable fashion accoutrement for us, too, finds Charles Harris

Adrian Thomas outlines the simplest and most effective ways to help accommodate these important guests

Handsome, chunky and often brightly marked, shieldbugs emerge in spring, quietly shaping the life of hedgerow and garden