Smoke rises after a strike on fuel tanks at an oil refinery in Tehran, amid the conflict between the US, Israel and Iran, on March 8, 2026. MAJID ASGARIPOUR/VIA REUTERS Since the attack on Iran by Israel and the US on February 28, more than 300 incidents with environmental risks have been recorded by the…

At one of the most remote spots in southern England, Al West skilfully tilts and rotates the bucket of a small digger, like a giant mechanical hand. He lifts turf, and pats it down gently on to the rich, dark brown peat beneath. Above him, the granite stack of Fur Tor looms above the vast,…

You’ve almost certainly seen gatekeeper butterflies, even if you don’t know them by name. The gatekeeper is, says naturalist and butterfly enthusiast Matthew Oates, “a charming butterfly; a charming meditation of soft oranges and browns”. Traditionally found in the “scrub edges” (the borders between grassland and woods) and at hedge margins, they are frequently seen…