Hedgehog conservation: how to make a garden nest box appealing – new research

Garden surveys reveal what makes a house a home for Britain’s favourite mammal.

Abi Gazzard, PhD in Ecology and Conservation, University of Reading • conversation
July 4, 2022 ~7 min

Achoo! 5 essential reads for pollen season

Pollen brings seasonal misery to millions of Americans, but it serves a critical purpose: fertilizing many kinds of plants, including food crops.

Jennifer Weeks, Senior Environment + Energy Editor, The Conversation • conversation
April 21, 2022 ~8 min


Garden bird feeders are boosting blue tit numbers – but leaving other species hungry

Eating bird food was also linked to a nearly four-fold increase in their breeding densities.

Jack Shutt, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Conservation Ecology, Manchester Metropolitan University • conversation
May 26, 2021 ~7 min

To help insects, make them welcome in your garden – here's how

Looking for a new gardening challenge? Turning your yard into an insect-friendly oasis could mean less work and more nature to enjoy.

Brian Lovett, Postdoctoral Researcher in Mycology, West Virginia University • conversation
March 22, 2021 ~8 min

January warm spells, March freezes: How plants manage the shift from winter to spring

Trees and shrubs in cold-weather climates rely on certain signals, such as temperature and light, to know when to leaf out and bloom. Climate change is scrambling those signals.

Richard B. Primack, Professor of Biology, Boston University • conversation
March 4, 2021 ~9 min

How to make your house and garden more tranquil – tips from an acoustics expert

Whether it's cars passing nearby, a neighbour's blaring music or the constant drone of a lawnmower, the trouble with sound is that – unlike light – it can be hard to block out completely.

Greg Watts, Professor of environmental acoustics, University of Bradford • conversation
June 29, 2020 ~6 min

Why you may need to encourage social distancing around your bird feeder

Garden bird feeders and water baths could be hotspots for infectious disease transmission.

Harisree Paramel Nair, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Molecular Microbiology, Anglia Ruskin University • conversation
May 28, 2020 ~6 min

Solar farms, power stations and water treatment plants can be attractions instead of eyesores

Are facilities that produce necessities like energy and clean water doomed to be ugly? Not when artists and landscape architects help design them.

Margaret Birney Vickery, Lecturer in Art History, University of Massachusetts Amherst • conversation
May 15, 2020 ~9 min


How to discover the wildlife wonders of your own garden

Domestic gardens offer an oases for urban wildlife, and are a sight for sore eyes during lockdown.

Ian D. Rotherham, Professor of Environmental Geography and Reader in Tourism and Environmental Change, Sheffield Hallam University • conversation
April 7, 2020 ~7 min

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