Magazine

Natural history

Stories about cycles, change and relationships in the living world.

All articles Flowers and pollinators Mycology Behaviour and communication Botany Conservation and restoration Discoveries Features Natural history Questions and answers Field observation guides Microscopic world Tracks and signs Nature at night Seasons and natural changes Evolution and adaptations Life in extreme environments Everyday nature Citizen science

Magazine

Natural history

AI-generated illustration: A fallen log on a quiet woodland floor. Not a documentary photograph or scientific evidence.

AI-generated illustration AI illustration for FaunaGuide Source: FaunaGuide · IA Provider terms

Natural-history · 3 min

Fallen log: what the evidence allows us to say about the cycle of matter

A decaying log can offer a way to think about an ecosystem and the return of matter, but the available sources provide only a general framework: they do not document the seasonal course of a particular log.

Natural-history · 3 min

How a Meadow Changes Through the Year: Two Examples from the Sierra Nevada

Snow, snowmelt, and the first shoots set the pace in two California mountain meadows. A National Park Service guide describes Cook’s Meadow in Yosemite; a scientific study examines Dana Meadow. Their findings complement one another, but they are neither an independent replication of the same place nor a universal calendar.

Natural-history · 2 min

Bee-eaters in Doñana: from natural ground to roadside nesting

Ground that allows a nest to be excavated can also expose birds to risks. Doñana provides a documented case of changing nesting sites.