The Latest Breaking News from Phil Gates

Country diary: Much to be found in the two inch-tall rainforest

Egglestone, Teesdale: Crouch down at this time of year and you’ll see the irrepressible energy of new foliage, fresh shoots and spring’s promise

The Guardian - UK · Jan 18, 2023

Country diary: In the bleak midwinter, the hedgerow waits for warmer days

Wolsingham, Weardale: The long-tailed tits are avian acrobats, scouring the twigs for food

The Guardian - UK · Dec 21, 2022

Country diary: The holly and meadowsweet are flowering out of time

Egglestone, Teesdale: Unseasonal blooming could be the norm if we have more summer droughts and mild autumns – how closely is this being recorded?

The Guardian - UK · Dec 7, 2022

Country diary: A heady mix of sex and drugs for this wasp

Deerness Valley Way, County Durham: We watched the whole performance – a bewildered, stumbling wasp, unable to resist another floral visit

The Guardian - UK · Aug 17, 2022

Country diary: Not even a digger could rid our garden of hedge bindweed

Crook, County Durham​: ​This rampant climber has the blackcurrant bushes in its spirally grip. There are, however, a few striking benefits

The Guardian - UK · Aug 3, 2022

Country diary: A late red grouse chick makes a dash for its mother’s wing

Pikestone Fell, Weardale: The year’s first great pulse of moorland energy, the upland bird breeding season, is all but over

The Guardian - UK · Jul 19, 2022

Country diary: A simple picnic in a miniature jungle

Auckland Park, Bishop Auckland: All around me the grassland is teeming with life, from busy spiders to chocolate butterflies

The Guardian - UK · Jul 7, 2022

Country diary: For spring butterflies, survival is the name of the game

Willington, County Durham: The small heath makes sure to cast a tiny shadow; the dingy skipper chooses camouflage

The Guardian - UK · Jun 1, 2022

Country diary: An unruly teenager among the dutiful bluebells

Egglestone, Teesdale: If imperfection is your chosen aesthetic, then look no further than the goldilocks buttercup

The Guardian - UK · May 18, 2022

Country diary: A living fossil with a tale to tell

Winlaton Mill, Gateshead: The landscape here is vast and exhilarating, but a close look reveals a curious plant with a link to the area’s coal past

The Guardian - UK · May 4, 2022