Plant Facts

Seaton Meadows, a Plantlife reserve in Rutland. © Ernie Janes/Plantlife

Wildflower favourites are in danger due to devastation of grasslands and meadows

The Queen Alexandra's birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) is the largest butterfly in the world with a wingspan of 25 cm, and was reassessed for the latest IUCN Red List update © Mark Joy

IUCN Red List update: how different species have fared

ButterflyGarden_623-f3fd620

Wildlife Gardening

How to make a butterfly-friendly garden

Hollyhock (Alcea rosea) © Andia / UIG / Getty

Why do flowers point up or down?

Psychedelic mushrooms Psilocybe cyanescens. © Nathan Griffith/Getty

Why are some mushrooms magic?

Trees with submerged roots develop snorkel-like structures known as pneumatophores © Auscape/ Getty

What are tree snorkels?

Sunrise over bluebells in Warwickshire © Ben Waters/Getty

Top places to see bluebells

Canals-on-and-off-side-1_623-f5d9c89

People & Wildlife

Life lines in the British countryside

Tiffany Francis with gorse bush

The art of foraging, with a recipe for hawthorn vinegar

With careful counting, it’s possible to judge how old a tree was when it was felled. © DEA/G. Cigolini/Getty

What can tree rings tell us, apart from age?

Wood-Anemone-Main-5f22f86

What is an ancient woodland indicator?

Big-Blue-Pinnkgill-Entoloma-atromadidum-Louise-Buckley-National-Trust-Images_623-84b9685

Big blue surprise

Joshua_623-773b356

Why conservationists are rallying around this young botanist

Shinisaurus-crocodilurus-vietnamensis_623-271ba05

115 new species found in Southeast Asia