The common toad has always enjoyed a special place in our national imagination, but its numbers have been declining alarmingly in recent decades. What can be done? Sarah Langford investigates

Under some concrete rubble in a wasteland in La Paz, towards the tip of the arid peninsula of Baja California, was the site of one of the most memorable and peculiar herpetological encounters of my li

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

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

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

Hop aboard as Daisy Dobrijevic sets sail to discover the world’s most unusual beasts.