New ‘bone collector’ caterpillar wears the remains of its prey

Toby explains why natural predators and late season warmth can help provide many of this year’s beleaguered plants with a second wind of growth

The spider-tailed horned viper contains the raw ingredients of two of the world’s most common phobias: arachnophobia (fear of spiders) and ophidiophobia (fear of snakes). The only way it could possibl

Fungi and insects make for an exciting season, says James Lowen

I MET MY FIRST MINOTAUR BEETLE recently. It was a male and he was making his way across my friend’s field, which she manages for wildlife. I stopped and watched him for a few minutes. He walked with p

FOSSIL EVIDENCE TELLS US THAT insects have put wings to good use in their domination of the planet for the past 325 million years. However, some of these insects have given up their various motile fla

Galls, which can range from the delicately beautiful to hideously unattractive bulbous growths, are among Nature’s most intriguing phenomena, discovers Deborah Nicholls-Lee