The wisdom of pond life
A small tub of water has radically enlarged my sense of what the world could be.
By
Reviewing politics
and culture since 1913
Helen Macdonald is a writer and naturalist. Her books include H is for Hawk and Vesper Flights (Jonathan Cape).
A small tub of water has radically enlarged my sense of what the world could be.
By Helen Macdonald
Reintroducing wolves, boar and other lost wildlife to Britain is about enriching human lives as well as preserving nature.
By Helen Macdonald
The pied wagtails delight in urban environments, and display a communality during the darkest, hardest months of the year.
By Helen Macdonald
Frost doesn’t merely transform our surroundings – it alters the kind of attention we pay to the world.
By Helen Macdonald
When they turn to tiny tailed froglets and scramble into damp grass, we learn something about letting go.
By Helen Macdonald
The attention you bring to bear on the landscape as you look for Britain’s only venomous snake is transformative.
By Helen Macdonald
In my lifetime, seabirds have symbolised one thing above all: pollution.
By Helen Macdonald
I thought that I could retreat from the world outside, like a hedgehog or ladybird. But after Covid we…
By Helen Macdonald
This time last year I went for a very ordinary walk, unaware of the disruption, trauma and solitude that…
By Helen Macdonald