As the days shorten and temperatures drop in September, birds will either begin stocking up for the colder months or preparing for long migrations.

A major tree-planting project has transformed Fishwick Bottoms, Preston, with 11,800 native trees now creating a thriving riverside woodland. The initiative, delivered by Clitheroe based environmental charity Ribble Rivers Trust, will boost biodiversity, improve water quality, and help protect communities from flooding.

Eight chicks belonging to a dove species that has been extinct in the wild for decades have successfully hatched at Chester Zoo – boosting survival hopes for the incredibly rare birds. Today, all remaining Socorro doves are cared for in zoo conservation-breeding programmes across Europe and North America, which are working to pull the species back from the brink.

When you think of autumn gardens, do you imagine dull leaves and fading flowers? You couldn’t be more wrong. British Garden Centres has put together a guide to instant impact plants that can make a garden burst into vibrant life, delivering both colour and joy.

A rare snow leopard cub, the first to be born at Chester Zoo in its 94-year history, has taken her first steps outside, as keepers reveal her name following thousands of public suggestions. Born to first-time parents Nubra and Yashin, the 10-week-old cub has spent her early weeks snuggled away in a secluded den with mum.

Two super rare (and super orange!) primates have made their debuts at Chester Zoo. The pair of tiny golden lion tamarins, named George (7) and Leaf (12), are the first of their kind to ever live at the zoo. Standing at just eight inches tall, the duo has been caught on camera as they explored their new home for the first time, where they live alongside other species of rare primates.

A rare snow leopard cub, which has quickly become a viral sensation after videos of its playful antics in its den were shared online, has had its first health check with Chester Zoo’s vets. The cub was examined, sexed, weighed and vaccinated by the zoo’s specialist vets and carnivore keepers - and it has been revealed as a female.

Otters, trout and heron have returned to a stream in County Durham as Northumbrian Water works to improve the health of waterways across the region. As part of a new project, the company are installing data-gathering monitors in rivers, streams and becks across the North-East to monitor river quality and allow teams to respond more quickly to problems.

Butterfly experts have been sharing their excitement after a species from southern Europe was confirmed to have been seen in the UK for the first time. Two sightings of the Southern Small White have now been verified - one in Suffolk and one in County Durham. It comes after the UK recorded its warmest and sunniest-ever spring, which has prompted a flurry of unusual butterfly and moth activity.

A duo of corpse flower blooms have captured global attention. Now conservation scientists are calling for the horticultural community to learn from this to save other threatened plants. Scientists at Chester Zoo say the attention and care given to the odorous titan arum plants currently blooming at the U.S.

The cub is the first of its kind to be born at the zoo in its 94-year history. After arriving to first-time parents Nubra (3) and Yashin (3) on Tuesday 10 June 2025, mum and cub have since spent time quietly tucked away in a cosy den - with all of their adorable early moments caught on the zoo’s ‘den cams’.

Butterfly Conservation has launched a nationwide rescue mission for the UK’s butterflies and needs the people of Lancashire to get involved! Last summer, Lancashire’s butterflies sent an urgent SOS through Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count, with citizen scientists in Lancashire spotting only 19,379 butterflies and day-flying moths during the three-week period.

The birth of an okapi has been caught on CCTV cameras at Chester Zoo. The precious calf was born in the early hours on 6 May to mum Ada, and dad Stomp, following a 14-month pregnancy.

Chester Zoo has announced the return of its hugely popular Afterglow event - offering visitors the rare opportunity to explore the zoo and its 37,000 animals after hours… but this time, with even more surprises.

Out of this world! Ten rare Humboldt penguin chicks hatch at Chester Zoo and are named after constellations and celestial wonders. The rare new arrivals are highly threatened Humboldt penguins – one of the most at risk out of the world’s 17 species of penguin.

More than 10 million trees have now been established across the North of England as part of the Northern Forest scheme, which launched in 2018.

Chester Zoo has been named the third most popular ‘paid for’ attraction in England after more than as 1.9 million people visited last year. New data, released by VisitEngland, has revealed the zoo welcomed 1,947,544 people in 2024, on par with the previous year’s figures (1,942,890).

This summer RSPB Campfield Marsh will become a British Dragonfly Society ‘Dragonfly Hotspot’, marking the beginning of a new partnership to protect the dragonflies of the Solway coast. The British Dragonfly Society, in partnership with the RSPB, is pleased to announce that RSPB Campfield Marsh has been officially designated as a Dragonfly Hotspot.

Three rare Blue-eyed Ground Doves chicks, hatched through artificial incubation, are the result of a joint effort by national and international conservation institutions In April, Parque das Aves welcomed three new Blue-eyed Ground Doves (Columbina cyanopis), one of the most endangered species in the world.

With weather forecasts predicting temperatures in the high twenties by Friday, garden birds face extra challenges in staying hydrated and healthy.

If you’re new to gardening and want an easy way to keep your flower beds looking great and blooming longer, the Chelsea chop might be just what you need. This simple pruning trick helps many popular garden plants grow bushier and flower later in the season, and gardeners of all abilities can do it.

Summer is on its way, with a couple of early heatwaves already under our belts. And while we may welcome the warmer weather, it’s not always a friend to our lawns. But according to experts from MyBuilder.com the reliable way to hire tradespeople, there are many ways to protect our grass from the heat of summer.

The latest Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) is now open and gives farmers the opportunity to invest in modern equipment and innovative technology, but applications must be submitted by midday on the 10 July 2025, according to rural property consultancy, Lister Haigh. The Lister Haigh team are already working on applications with farmers from across the North of England.

New research published by The Wildlife Trusts shows that bats and great crested newts are a factor in just 3% of planning appeal decisions. This evidence that nature does not block growth is published as the Planning & Infrastructure Bill reached a critical stage last week when the Committee discussion of the Bill ended.

Two female bat-eared foxes have arrived at Chester Zoo - the first of their kind to be seen at the zoo in more than 30 years. The two sisters, named Maasai and Malindi, have been welcomed by the zoo’s conservationists after travelling more than 500 miles from a zoo in Paris, France.

The UK has experienced the driest Spring since the 1950s - and water companies such as Thames Water are already warning that water restrictions loom. This can be problematic for gardeners across the nation, who struggle to keep their outdoor spaces blooming without the use of hoses and sprinklers.