NATURE The goldfinch’s striking markings and beautiful song make them a much-loved garden visitor, writes John Shelley
Flame of the woods, keeper of the secret
Outdoor Living
The perils of a free meal
NATURE When you go mushroom foraging, it’s best to know your fields and horses from your yellow stainers
And they’re off
NATURE Two of our most familiar summer visitors, cuckoos and swallows, are taking to the skies
Plight of the bumblebee
NATURE John Shelley forms a newfound respect for the emotional intelligence of the bumblebee after two encounters
Morrigan’s choice
NATURE John Shelley meets a young, crash-landed crow, and has a hard time convincing his friend not to take her life
The complicated business of saving the hay
NATURE There’s nothing like the smell of new mown hay, but saving it – now that’s a whole other story
Choked waterways and poor fishing days
NATURE Perch are as plentiful as trout once were – but is it pike or water quality that is to blame for the trout decline?
Ffionn’s leap and plover pebbles
NATURE John Shelley’s adopted fox cub breaks for freedom, prompting a meditation on the natural way of things
A foxy lady arrives
OUTDOOR LIVING John Shelley takes in a lost fox cub, and finds his heartstrings pulled every which way
Collectable edibles
NATURE John Shelley tries a goosegrass and dandelion-leaf sandwich, washing it down with hawthorne-leaf tea
Can of worms
NATURE John Shelley watches on disapprovingly as his friend uses unsavoury methods to catch earthworms for trout fishing
