Beetlemania

Meet some of the fascinating creatures that could be helping out on your plot

The first small tortoiseshell I’ve seen this year has just fluttered past – and my heart soared. This is one of those iconic common and widespread butterfly beauties that reminds me of my childhood ro

With a ‘butterfly emergency’ in the UK, conservationists are gearing up for this year’s Big Butterfly Count. But what has happened to these insects? And can they – on a wing and a prayer – ever bounce back?

Patrick Galbraith calls for a bit less tinkering around the hedges

Karen Youngs has a painful encounter with a nettle patch on an afternoon walk

Climate change is shifting the balance of vineyard biodiversity, creating new challenges for wine-growers