Patrick Barkham
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Guardian writer. Books, butterflies, Norfolk Wildlife Trust President. Latest is THE SWIMMER, biography of Roger Deakin. (The silver fox in the Speedos is Rog.)
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Articles by Patrick Barkham
Queen of Spain butterfly invades Britain – but will it become native?
The Queen of Spain could finally conquer Britain once and for all. Photograph: imageBROKER/Alamy The Queen of Spain has invaded. The enigmatic British visits of this gorgeous golden-coloured butterfly with distinctively shaped, squared-off hindwings have been recorded by lepidopterists for four centuries. Usually there are barely a handful of sightings each summer of a butterfly that is widespread across continental Europe.
Queen of Spain butterfly invades Britain – but will it become native?
The Queen of Spain has invaded. The enigmatic British visits of this gorgeous golden-coloured butterfly with distinctively shaped, squared-off hindwings have been recorded by lepidopterists for four centuries. Usually there are barely a handful of sightings each summer of a butterfly that is widespread across continental Europe. This year, thousands have flown in, some from France and Spain that have reached the south coast, and others from the Netherlands, which have fluttered into East Anglia.
You need persistence: the Norfolk couple who took on environmental regulators three times – and won
Polluters and regulators who fail to stop pollution must quake in their boots when they receive a letter from the lawyers for Tim and Geli Harris. The couple, who farm 460 acres in the Norfolk Broads, have now scored a hat-trick of landmark legal victories to save an internationally important wetland after they won again in the high court this month.
‘You need persistence’: the Norfolk couple who took on environmental regulators three times – and won
When they bought their 460-acre farm about 30 years ago, the Harrises converted arable fields to pasture. Photograph: Ali Smith/The Guardian Polluters and regulators who fail to stop pollution must quake in their boots when they receive a letter from the lawyers for Tim and Geli Harris. The couple, who farm 460 acres in the Norfolk Broads, have now scored a hat-trick of landmark legal victories to save an internationally important wetland after they won again in the high court this month.
‘You need persistence’: the Norfolk couple who took on environmental regulators three times – and won
Polluters and regulators who fail to stop pollution must quake in their boots when they receive a letter from the lawyers for Tim and Geli Harris. The couple, who farm 460 acres in the Norfolk Broads, have now scored a hat-trick of landmark legal victories to save an internationally important wetland after they won again in the high court this month.
‘This isn’t greenwashing’: thousands of butterflies surprise experts on restored West Sussex farmland
An “amazing” abundance of 5,290 butterflies, including rare small blues and dingy skippers, has appeared on land that was barren wheatfields just two years ago. The speed with which nature has bounced back at Halnaker Hill farm in West Sussex has surprised experts after 133 hectares (330 acres) of intensively farmed land were turned into a commercial nature restoration project.
‘This isn’t greenwashing’: thousands of butterflies surprise experts on restored West Sussex farmland
Small blue butterflies had never previously been recorded on the fields. Photograph: Neil Hulme An “amazing” abundance of 5,290 butterflies, including rare small blues and dingy skippers, has appeared on land that was barren wheatfields just two years ago. The speed with which nature has bounced back at Halnaker Hill farm in West Sussex has surprised experts after 133 hectares (330 acres) of intensively farmed land were turned into a commercial nature restoration project.
Seabird numbers bounce back in Solent region after 2022 avian flu wipeout
The colony of sandwich terns nesting at Pagham harbour, West Sussex, was completely wiped out by bird flu in 2022. But numbers have bounced back from zero to 756 breeding pairs in just three years after conservation work in the Solent. Populations of breeding little terns, ringed plovers, oystercatchers and black-headed gulls have also increased along the same coastline.
Seabird numbers bounce back in Solent region after 2022 avian flu wipeout
The colony of sandwich terns nesting at Pagham harbour, West Sussex, was completely wiped out by bird flu in 2022. But numbers have bounced back from zero to 756 breeding pairs in just three years after conservation work in the Solent. Populations of breeding little terns, ringed plovers, oystercatchers and black-headed gulls have also increased along the same coastline.
Seabird numbers bounce back in Solent region after 2022 avian flu wipeout
Two adult sandwich terns with a chick. Photograph: David Kinchin Smith/RSPB The colony of sandwich terns nesting at Pagham harbour, West Sussex, was completely wiped out by bird flu in 2022. But numbers have bounced back from zero to 756 breeding pairs in just three years after conservation work in the Solent. Populations of breeding little terns, ringed plovers, oystercatchers and black-headed gulls have also increased along the same coastline.
Seabird numbers bounce back in Solent region after 2022 avian flu wipeout
Seabird numbers bounce back in Solent region after 2022 avian flu wipeout Mon, 19 October 2026 at 6:00 am UTC Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Two adult sandwich terns with a chick.Photograph: David Kinchin Smith/RSPB The colony of sandwich terns nesting at Pagham harbour, West Sussex, was completely wiped out by bird flu in 2022. But numbers have bounced back from zero to 756 breeding pairs in just three years after conservation work in the Solent.
From little acorns … to his 1,000th article for the Guardian country diary
In the autumn of 1987, Mark Cocker sat in a field near Norwich and watched a jay burying acorns for the long winter ahead. He described the scene in his first country diary for the Guardian. Thirty-nine years on, some of those jay-planted acorns will be mature oaks now, and Cocker is completing his 1,000th diary for the world's oldest column in an English-language newspaper.
From little acorns … to his 1,000th article for the Guardian country diary
In the autumn of 1987, Mark Cocker sat in a field near Norwich and watched a jay burying acorns for the long winter ahead. He described the scene in his first country diary for the Guardian. Thirty-nine years on, some of those jay-planted acorns will be mature oaks now, and Cocker is completing his 1,000th diary for the world’s oldest column in an English-language newspaper.
From little acorns … to his 1,000th article for the Guardian country diary
Mark Cocker: ‘It’s that connection between … the moment and the universal, which is the trick of the diary.’ Photograph: Fabio de Paola/The Guardian In the autumn of 1987, Mark Cocker sat in a field near Norwich and watched a jay burying acorns for the long winter ahead. He described the scene in his first country diary for the Guardian.
Sod’s law: what can two turf swaps 40 years apart tell us about Britain’s biodiversity crisis?
‘When you make work outside, things happen’ … the results of Reverse Sod Swap in Springfield Park, London, in 2025. Photograph: Mike Perry In 1983, an open-topped truck unloaded an unusual cargo in Kensington Gardens: 83 hunks of turf cut from Cae’n y Coed, a wooded hillside in the Ffestiniog valley.
Sod’s law: what can two turf swaps 40 years apart tell us about Britain’s biodiversity crisis? Original
In 1983, an open-topped truck unloaded an unusual cargo in Kensington Gardens: 83 hunks of turf cut from Cae'n y Coed, a wooded hillside in the Ffestiniog valley. The ring of turf measuring eight metres in diameter that was removed from the park beside the Serpentine Gallery in west London to make space for the Welsh sods was then trucked from London to north Wales. So began Sod Swap, a piece of sculptural defiance by David Nash, which has had an unexpected and epic afterlife.
Pollinating insects flock to plants gardeners might think of as 'weeds'
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Pollinating insects flock to plants gardeners might think of as ‘weeds’
A red admiral butterfly on ivy. Common ivy’s autumn blooms were the most visited, the survey found. Photograph: see caption Ubiquitous urban plants often derided as “weeds” are the most attractive to pollinating insects. The autumn blooms of common ivy, rich in pollen and nectar, are the most visited by insects including bees and butterflies, according to an eight-year study. Sign up to read this article Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Pollinating insects flock to plants gardeners might think of as ‘weeds’
Ubiquitous urban plants often derided as “weeds” are the most attractive to pollinating insects. The autumn blooms of common ivy, rich in pollen and nectar, are the most visited by insects including bees and butterflies, according to an eight-year study. The next most popular are hogweed and bramble flowers, followed by non-native buddleia, which attracts four times as many butterflies and moths as other high-scoring flowers.
Wanted: children to rear harvest mice at home for wild release in Devon
Children in Devon are being invited to become “citizen captive breeders”, rearing harvest mice at home for release into the wild to help revive endangered nature. Wild Pets, a new conservation project launched by two 14-year-old friends, is seeking 20 Devon-based children to rear hundreds of mice after the duo's own successful restoration efforts.
Wanted: children to rear harvest mice at home for wild release in Devon
Chris Packham at a harvest mouse release with Wild Pets founders Emily Smith (left) and Eva Wishart (right) in Tiverton, Devon, in 2025. Photograph: Karen Robinson/The Guardian Photograph: Karen Robinson/The Guardian Children in Devon are being invited to become “citizen captive breeders”, rearing harvest mice at home for release into the wild to help revive endangered nature.
‘We have been dispossessed’: Nick Hayes on land rights and a peaceful revolution at the real Toad Hall
On the banks of the Thames in South Oxfordshire, the Hardwick estate has been owned by the Rose family for generations. When Sir Charles Rose, a banker, sportsman, yachtsman and aviator, sped through the lanes in his Rolls-Royce in the early days of motoring, he inspired Kenneth Grahame to create Mr Toad in The Wind in the Willows. Grahame’s character became a symbol of decadent aristocracy whose foolishness leads to the temporary loss of a fine house to weasel-socialists.
Floating scarecrows: how Cornish fishers are stopping seabirds drowning in their nets
Bird-shaped kites and a floating scarecrow are being tested to try to stop endangered seabirds drowning in fishing nets. Every year an estimated 95,000 diving birds, including razorbills and guillemots, are accidentally caught in nets off European coasts. But simple deterrents tested by Cornish fishers and devised by scientists and the RSPB have been shown to reduce the toll by about two-thirds.
Floating scarecrows: how Cornish fishers are stopping seabirds drowning in their nets
Bird-shaped kites and a floating scarecrow are being tested to try to stop endangered seabirds drowning in fishing nets. Every year an estimated 95,000 diving birds, including razorbills and guillemots, are accidentally caught in nets off European coasts. But simple deterrents tested by Cornish fishers and devised by scientists and the RSPB have been shown to reduce the toll by about two-thirds.
Wildlife arrives on time at rewilded chalk grasslands built along HS2 route
The air is scented with the sweet tang of ladies bedstraw and made musical by skylark and blackcap song. An abundance of marbled white butterflies, small skippers and common blue damselflies dart over the flowering knapweed, yarrow and wild carrot. That the largest chalk grassland in the Chilterns is full of wildlife may not surprise you. But the fact that it is completely artificial, only four years old and has been built by the much-maligned HS2, may do.
Autumn sunshine could extend Britain’s bumper year for butterflies
Wed, September 30, 2026 at 5:00 AM UTC A Queen of Spain fritillary (Issoria lathonia)Photograph: imageBroker/Alamy Summer is over, most flowers were frazzled long ago and we might expect to see few butterflies beyond September. But it is not over yet. The reverberations from one of the best butterfly seasons in Britain this century will continue if there is more autumn sunshine. Thanks to extended warm seasons, more species are squeezing in an extra generation.
Joe Harkness obituary
The writer, teacher and naturalist Joe Harkness, who has died aged 39, was an inspiring advocate for the role that wild nature can play in alleviating depression and helping all minds, but especially neurodivergent ones, find joy and peace. His first book, Bird Therapy (2018), was a notable success from a new generation of authors who found readers online and crowdfunded their publication via the now defunct Unbound.
Skylarks and sandwich terns among new birdies on reserve created from ‘boring old golf course’
There is no chance of a birdie or an eagle any more. But there are skylarks, short-eared owls, avocets and curlew. Sandilands, a former golf course on the Lincolnshire coast, has been transformed by the National Trust into a 2km-long nature reserve with wetlands, wading pools, rough grassland and coastal scrub.
‘The man’s a psychopath when it comes to hedgerows’: Derek vs Derek, the unexpectedly heartwarming doc about farmers at war
Derek Gow and Derek Banbury should hate each other. Gow is an outspoken rewilder widely credited with bringing back the beaver in England. As he returns his Devon sheep farm to wild nature, he is also breeding storks, wildcats, red-backed shrikes, glowworms and even adders to return to the countryside. Over the hedge, Banbury, his neighbour, is proud to be an intensive farmer, producing milk and beef cattle behind tightly clipped hedges.
Record heatwaves bring Britain’s second-best butterfly season in 16 years
The recording-breaking heat of 2026 delivered the second-best British butterfly season of the past 16 years, according to the Big Butterfly Count. The largest insect count in the world, in which more than 100,000 volunteers counted almost 1.4m common butterflies and day-flying moths, confirmed what many people experienced – a noticeable profusion of butterflies during the five-heatwave summer.
One in nine migratory birds threatened with extinction, global report says
One in nine migratory birds are threatened with extinction and 45% of migratory species such as cuckoos, turtle doves and Arctic terns are in decline, according to a global report. The migratory slender-billed curlew was officially declared extinct last year, the first global bird extinction in mainland Eurasia and Africa in recent centuries. Worldwide, seven migratory bird species have been confirmed or are suspected to have become extinct over the last 150 years.
Artist delights in beautiful 'mess' and dead trees of England's rewilding sites
Rewilding areas do not usually conform to traditional notions of beauty in England's green and pleasant land. Detractors may bewail the beaver-felled trees, untidy scrub, deadwood, weeds, mud and “mess”. But a new exhibition highlights the aesthetic delights that can be discovered on rewilding sites where fungi grows on dying trees, water buffalo gather in new wetlands and brown-watered beaver pools flood once-desiccated fields.
Glowworms shine again in North Yorkshire after larvae reared in garden shed
The bioluminescent beams of “fairy folk” are shining again from a nature reserve in North Yorkshire for the first time in a century after the successful reintroduction of endangered glowworms. Female glowworms were spotted over multiple weeks at Nosterfield nature reserve this summer following a no-frills, almost zero-budget reintroduction of the much-loved invertebrates, which have vanished from the British countryside in recent decades and are notoriously difficult to re-establish.
‘Sharks are my film stars’: how the Jacques Cousteau of the North Sea finally unlocked its beauty
The North Sea, as even its greatest admirers will concede, often glowers an unappetising grey or brown. And we assume that its dull exterior is matched by sediment-filled waters where little life dwells. For years, the friends and family of Peter van Rodijnen wondered why the Dutch cinematographer and diving fanatic spent so much time exploring "this murky bowl of soup".
‘Sharks are my film stars’: how the Jacques Cousteau of the North Sea finally unlocked its beauty
The North Sea, as even its greatest admirers will concede, often glowers an unappetising grey or brown. And we assume that its dull exterior is matched by sediment-filled waters where little life dwells. For years, the friends and family of Peter van Rodijnen wondered why the Dutch cinematographer and diving fanatic spent so much time exploring “this murky bowl of soup”.
‘Sharks are my film stars’: how the Jacques Cousteau of the North Sea finally unlocked its beauty
The North Sea, as even its greatest admirers will concede, often glowers an unappetising grey or brown. And we assume that its dull exterior is matched by sediment-filled waters where little life dwells. For years, the friends and family of Peter van Rodijnen wondered why the Dutch cinematographer and diving fanatic spent so much time exploring "this murky bowl of soup".
‘Britain's Yellowstone': restoration project aims to take the greed out of land acquisition
It is difficult to find the most remote place in England. There is no public transport, no roads and no sign of any human habitation. Online route finders mistakenly direct cars up a grassy track. But miles along gravel forest roads in the far north of Northumberland is the largest contiguous rewilding site under single ownership in the country.
‘Britain’s Yellowstone’: restoration project aims to take the greed out of land acquisition
It is difficult to find the most remote place in England. There is no public transport, no roads and no sign of any human habitation. Online route finders mistakenly direct cars up a grassy track. But miles along gravel forest roads in the far north of Northumberland is the largest contiguous rewilding site under single ownership in the country.
‘Britain’s Yellowstone’: restoration project aims to take the greed out of land acquisition
It is difficult to find the most remote place in England. There is no public transport, no roads and no sign of any human habitation. Online route finders mistakenly direct cars up a grassy track. But miles along gravel forest roads in the far north of Northumberland is the largest contiguous rewilding site under single ownership in the country.
‘Britain’s Yellowstone’: restoration project aims to take the greed out of land acquisition
It is difficult to find the most remote place in England. There is no public transport, no roads and no sign of any human habitation. Online route finders mistakenly direct cars up a grassy track. But miles along gravel forest roads in the far north of Northumberland is the largest contiguous rewilding site under single ownership in the country.
‘Britain’s Yellowstone’: restoration project aims to take the greed out of land acquisition
It is difficult to find the most remote place in England. There is no public transport, no roads and no sign of any human habitation. Online route finders mistakenly direct cars up a grassy track. But miles along gravel forest roads in the far north of Northumberland is the largest contiguous rewilding site under single ownership in the country.
‘Britain’s Yellowstone’: restoration project aims to take the greed out of land acquisition
It is difficult to find the most remote place in England. There is no public transport, no roads and no sign of any human habitation. Online route finders mistakenly direct cars up a grassy track. But miles along gravel forest roads in the far north of Northumberland is the largest contiguous rewilding site under single ownership in the country.
‘Nature thrives when given a chance': restored Cheshire wetland now a haven for rare grebe
A dumping ground for dredgings from the Manchester Ship Canal has become the best place in Britain for the rare and beautiful black-necked grebe, hosting 64% of Britain's breeding population. Since 2021, Woolston Eyes in Cheshire has been restored, extended and turned into a mosaic of freshwater pools, reedbeds, willow scrub and rough grassland, managed by the RSPB and Woolston Eyes Conservation Group.
‘I love it. It's hope': The mysterious self-willed wildflower meadow that seeded itself
Tucked away on a country lane, a small field bursts with yellow and pink flowers. Quail and whitethroats call from the thick hedges and the plants, including common centaury, yellow rattle and marsh and common spotted orchids, bounce with hoverflies and butterflies. More than 150 plant species have been recorded on Sayer's Old Meadow, in north Norfolk, England, which is remarkable when there was just one – oilseed rape – growing there 21 years ago.
Winner of Invertebrate of the Year 2026 crowned – and it is the size of a grain of rice
Hundreds of thousands of readers around the world read about and shared their appreciation for the spineless creatures who make up the majority of animal life on Earth. Illustration: Petra Korlević/The Guardian The leaf sheep, Costasiella kuroshimae, triumphed in the global ballot after hundreds of thousands of readers around the world read about and shared their appreciation for the spineless creatures who make up the majority of animal life on Earth.
Winner of Invertebrate of the Year 2026 crowned – and it is the size of a grain of rice
Related: ‘You’d want one as a pet’: the irresistibly cute solar-powered sea slug A neon green solar-powered slug that lives underwater is the winner of the increasingly popular Invertebrate of the Year competition run by the Guardian. The leaf sheep, Costasiella kuroshimae, triumphed in the global ballot after hundreds of thousands of readers around the world read about and shared their appreciation for the spineless creatures who make up the majority of animal life on Earth.
Stuff of nightmares? Meet the bootlace worm – super-long, super-elastic, and it fires toxic slime
It's the shuddery stuff of nightmares for some, but for a select group who admire extending ladders, giraffes and the Odyssey, one of the longest animals in the world is bound to appeal. This creature is not the blue whale, nor a lion's mane jellyfish but the humble bootlace worm, Lineus longissimus, one of the most remarkable marine invertebrates of them all. It can stretch out longer than an Olympic swimming pool.
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