nature

A tree.
Our ash trees are dying, but don't despair: catastrophes are natural events in the lives of trees
By Richard Mabey - 07 June 12:44

Dutch elm disease is a tragic thing to watch, but we shouldn't be too gloomy. Woody vegetation responds, adapts, regroups. What emerges in its recovery stage may not be the same as before, but it will always be a vital, dynamic, arboreal community.

Badger.
Into the wilderness
By John Burnside - 10 April 13:28

We need our meadows and oceans to teem with wild creatures. The badger cull is a sign of our broken relationship with the natural world.

Amazing grace: flamingos have the poise of dancers or tightrope walkers.
To see a live flamingo is to understand elegance
By John Burnside - 14 March 9:00

Gravity is not just a limitation, but a potential partner in exploring the world.

Woolfson's account explores the quotidian aspect of nature. Photograph: Simon Ke
Reviewed: Field Notes from a Hidden City by Esther Woolfson
By Richard Mabey - 28 February 13:46

Where the wild things are.

Decaying fruit gives new life when composted. Photograph: Greg Friedler
Learning not to despair when the rot sets in
By Alice Oswald - 20 February 8:52

What's the difference between rot and decay?

We lack the animal and spirit connections of our forebears
Don’t be afraid of the big, bad wolf
By John Burnside - 31 January 12:09

We are living without the sense of the shamanic and the transformational that our forebears found vital for survival.

Early morning frost in Richmond Park
In midwinter, signs of new life
By Alice Oswald - 03 January 8:43

Alice Oswald's nature column.

A Hawksbill sea turtle swimming in Lady Elliot Island, Australia
A sea change
By Tim Winton - 03 January 8:39

I took the wild Australian coast for granted, then I had to learn to fight.

David Attenborough shushing a llama. Photograph: Getty Images
Sixty years of Attenborough through the eyes of the New Statesman
By Philip Maughan - 19 December 10:18

For more than half a century, the magazine has followed the broadcaster's work.

David Attenborough with Brian Cox and Robin Ince. Photograph: Muir Vidler for th
David Attenborough: A life measured in heartbeats
By Brian Cox and Robin Ince - 18 December 16:02

For 60 years, David Attenborough has brought the wonders of the world around us to TV viewers hungry for science and natural history. In an exclusive interview with Brian Cox and Robin Ince, he talks about the BBC, Darwin and what keeps him moving.

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