Eyes smarting, throat tickling, nostrils dog-wet, I pick my way along a thready footpath up the combe, only half-prepared for the next irritation ...The Best of the Guardian's CountryDiary, 2018-2024, is available now at guardianbookshop.com. .
Frome, Somerset. This much-maligned midsummer menace has few friends among humans, but look closely and you might find an orgy of eating and mating ...Nettles, I am watching you ... ....
Wharfedale, Yorkshire. On the trail of a wood warbler, I find a suite of woodland plants rising up from a fascinating land formation – limestone pavement ... It is home to some lovely plants including lily of the valley and herb paris ... ....
An insect which was captured in a coalpit near Wigan has been sent to me. The son of the collier who found it took it to his schoolmaster, who forwarded it to me for identification ...Degenerate behaviour of the wasp. Country diary 100 years ago ... Share ... .
Ballaugh, Isle of Man. As I discover, spotting one of these marsupials isn’t hard. The problem is how to manage them ... spotting red-necked wallabies ... It’s a rare sight even here ... ....