Hoarding is a common animal behaviour. Lots of creatures cache food for times of scarcity. You probably know that squirrels hide nuts and wood mice store seeds, but did you know that fire ants stockpi

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

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

The new Turner Prize (this time, for craftspeople) ...

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