Female of the species

Bringing you some of the gardening news highlights

Mike Palmer explains how despite its quiet, slumbering appearance, there’s lots happening in our outside spaces during the colder, darker months

Absurd little birds across the world lay their eggs in the nests of other species, leaving the hapless parents to raise a changeling at the expense of their own offspring. The majority are cuckoos – o

When the temperature drops, how do Britain’s birds, beasts and plants keep the chill at bay? John Lewis-Stempel reveals Nature’s own thermals

Keepers at the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage in Zambia have noticed a fashion trend spreading among groups of chimpanzees living there – sticking strands of grass in their ears or rectums, and just le

A furry hot-water bottle? Or a restless snoring pest? Sharing a bed with a dog isn’t ideal for everyone, but it certainly warms the soul, says Bethany Stone