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Attracted by a cover, charmed by the contents
Edwardian publishers certainly knew how to produce exquisite book covers.
 • Phil Gates
To the woods! Velvet shanks, masked bandits, an inky alien and woodland mosses' window of opportunity
Last year was a local mast year for oak acorn production and the ground under the trees is still covered with them.
 • Phil Gates
Cowslips at Christmas - a tale of Primula floral promiscuity, and an annual New Year hunt for seasonally confused flowers
These cowslips have been flowering in our garden since mid-December.
 • Phil Gates
A happy accident
Chinese lanterns for Christmas
 • Phil Gates
The botanical carousel of the seasons slows in winter, but never quite grinds to a halt.
From this morning’s walk around Wolsingham in Weardale, just a couple of days before the winter solstice, the promise of spring, Pristine new lesser…
 • Phil Gates
A wandering wasp, a bird that can silence church bells, winter fragrance and a feline gate guardian
One December day, several years ago, I found a queen wasp hibernating in a finger of my gardening gloves, a memorably painful encounter.
 • Phil Gates
Travellers' joy on the last bus home
Feathery clouds of Clematis vitalba seeds, entangled in the briars and hazels in the corner of the field, shine in winter sunshine.
 • Phil Gates
Phil’s Substack
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Our Natural Place with Felicity Martin
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Nicola Chester
Nicola Chester

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