A wildlife trust says three peregrine falcon chicks born in May have flown their cathedral nest in what has been described as a "real boost for nature".

Since Boudica and Alban first bred at St Albans Cathedral, the pair have raised 13 chicks through to fledging.

The Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust said that was "some achievement, and adds to the ongoing recovery of the species in the UK".

Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) is sowing the seeds for successful montane scrub restoration in the Angus Glens.

Three new conservation seed orchards have been created to ensure new trees planted in the high parts of the glens will be from stock that has originated from the area.

The local seed provenance – a reference to the original geographic location where the parent plants grow and the seeds were collected – will mean the next generation of trees will have genetics adapted to the local environmental conditions.

A group of volunteers in north Shropshire have said they are determined to get rid of an invasive plant which has taken root along their river.

River Perry Water Watch, based in Baschurch, is pulling up Himalayan balsam from their riverbanks, with members saying it degrades them and damages biodiversity.

The group's leader Wendy Lowdon said it was a preventative measure to stop biodiversity decay in the river, in which other species are crowded out or killed off.

Wildlife wardens have completed an annual duck count as they bid to better understand the birds' behaviour.

A total of 269 eider duck nests have been found on Coquet Island, a mile (0.6km) off the coast of Northumberland, as the birds return there to breed.

Roughly equating to 269 breeding females, that number is a drop on last year's 333, the RSPB said, but similar to 2024 when there were 252 nests.

Marking the ten-year anniversary of the EU Referendum, a new report, Broken promises, deregulation and declining nature: the UK environment ten years after the Brexit vote, outlines the stark nature declines that multiple governments have presided over since 2016.

Dubbed at the time as a ‘Green Brexit’ (1), Governments immediately after the referendum promised to boost nature and environmental protections as a result of leaving the EU. Yet the evidence published today by The Wildlife Trusts shows the opposite result.

As the report outlines, the story of Brexit for the UK’s environment has been one of deregulation and a weakening of environmental laws, to deleterious social and economic effect. Since Brexit, the EU has upgraded or introduced 28 environmental laws that the UK has not mirrored. As a result, many of today’s laws which protect the UK’s environment are now weaker than they were a decade ago.

Almost all of the objectives in Northern Ireland's environmental plan are largely off track, the UK's environment watchdog has warned.

It found good progress had been made towards just two of the 38 targets - air quality and climate change mitigation, mixed progress towards six, limited progress towards 27 and three others could not be assessed.

The watchdog said the current pace and scale of action would not deliver the change that was needed for the plan to be effective.

Our green and pleasant land is sizzling. This week, millions of us across the UK are baking in unprecedented heat. The Met Office has issued a rare red weather warning from 9am today in parts of southern Wales, and central and southern England. The temperature record for June of 35.6C is almost certain to be broken; Bristol is forecast to hit an alarming 39C tomorrow.

In the heat, the country’s infrastructure is straining: millions of homes are overheating, rail operators have warned against all but essential travel, and hospital admissions are set to surge. The Climate Change Committee concluded last month the UK is built for a climate that no longer exists – and warned today on the country’s policies towards achieving net zero.

But it is not just humans who are struggling. The UK’s landscapes and wildlife have been shaped by – and have adapted to – thousands of years of predictable, moderate weather patterns. Now, Britain’s temperate rainforests, chalk streams, moorlands and broadleaf forests are facing extremes.

Five rivers have been recorded as having "exceptionally low" levels, sparking concern for wildlife and the future health of these habitats.

A recent Environment Agency report found the rivers Yare, Bure, Wissey, Ely Ouse, Waveney and Wissey, which flow through parts of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, were all at 'exceptionally low' levels.

Only two waterways in East Anglia - the Heacham and Burn in west Norfolk - have normal flows following a period of prolonged dry weather.

Looe Harbour Commissioners and the Ocean Conservation Trust have joined forces to protect one of the largest seagrass meadows in the South West.

They installed special sensitive habitat marker buoys to highlight seagrass areas in Looe Bay and protect the "remarkable" habitat, said the trust's Eden Stevens.

The buoys mark a voluntary no-anchor zone, to encourage water users to avoid anchoring, reduce seabed damage, and protect declining seagrass habitats.

A woman said she was very excited to find rare pink grasshopper babies in her garden.

Natasha Welch from Shepton Mallet took photographs of the insects and sent them to the Somerset Wildlife Trust, which explained that the colour is caused by a genetic mutation.

Usually, the bright pink bugs are eaten by birds due to their inability to camouflage, making them a "once-in-a-lifetime find", the trust added.

Early signs of recovery have been found on an area of protected seabed which was destroyed by illegal fishing in the Summer Isles near Ullapool .

Conservationists say it shows the marine ecosystem is able to repair itself if properly shielded from trawlers and dredgers which drag their gear along the seabed to scoop up catch.

The Open Seas coalition of scientists, activists and some fishermen accuse ministers of delaying action to protect at least 30% of Scotland's inshore waters, and are preparing to present a petition at the Scottish parliament.

What does a kestrel make of the dog sniffing in the long grass below? Why does an exhausted salmon pause before a weir? How will an otter experience the rumble of a passing train?

Eighteen people have spent six weeks swimming, slithering and soaring as otters, salmon, earthworms, red deer and kestrels in an attempt to better document the risks for wild animals in our human-dominated landscape.

The volunteers were trained to experience distinctive animal “umwelts” and report back on the reality of being a non-human animal trying to survive around the River Tone in Somerset, England.

Volunteers needed to share sightings of one of Europe’s biggest insects, whose numbers may be declining – and you can now submit audio and video for the first time too

The Great Stag Hunt – an important citizen science survey run by wildlife charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) – is back for its 29th year and for the first time, PTES wants your video or audio clips of spectacular stag beetles in flight too.

PTES is keen for as many people across Britain as possible to take part in the Great Stag Hunt and record visual sightings of stag beetles, as the data they help to collect makes a valuable contribution to stag beetle conservation efforts. Conservationists hope that, in future, it might be possible to monitor stag beetles acoustically by using software to recognise the characteristic ‘thrumming’ of the beetles in flight. However, PTES needs lots of video and audio data first to explore whether this is possible. Every contribution is important – whether visual, audio, or video – and it’s simple to take part.

Beavers introduced as part of a trial in the North York Moors have been found to cut flood risk downstream while boosting wildlife, according to new research.

The study, led by the University of Leeds and published in the journal Ecohydrology, focused on a beaver enclosure in Cropton Forest, where two animals were released in 2019 as part of a scheme led by Forestry England and licensed by Natural England.

The site had already been fitted with natural flood management measures to protect nearby villages from flooding.

Duke of Burgundy is a small but charismatic butterfly with vibrant orange wing patterns and striped antennae.

Its UK distribution has plummeted by 89% since 1982 due to habitat loss.

Duke of Burgundy caterpillars only eat cowslips and primroses which grow in unimproved grassland or woodland clearings - a type of habitat that has vanished across the country.

An iconic beauty spot in the South West is set to be featured in a new Royal Mail stamp series.

Becky Falls in Devon is included in the Waterfalls Special Stamp Collection, which will go on sale from 23 June.

The landmark is one of just 10 waterfalls chosen for the collection from across the UK.

The UK’s largest resident species of moth has been spotted at a nature reserve.

Volunteers from the Benfield Wildlife and Conservation Group in Hove were shocked to find a privet hawkmoth while litter picking.

Chairwoman of the conservation group Sally Wadsworth said: "Some of the team found it in the bushes and it looked as though it had just hatched out."

A council has set out plans to increase tree canopy cover, create more nature reserves and provide more green spaces.

Bradford Council said it was looking to increase tree canopy cover across the city from 9.14%, which is below the national target of 16.5%, to 17%.

The authority announced the plans to improve biodiversity and conserve and restore habitats across the region in its Enhanced Biodiversity Report, which was released on Tuesday.

A rare pine marten has been spotted in a back garden in Worthing – the first of its kind to have been seen in East or West Sussex for more than 100 years.

The creature, which is critically endangered in England and Wales, was seen among the flower beds of surprised homeowner Andrew on Sunday.

He took a couple of photographs, calling the brief encounter "magical and completely unexpected".

A network of hedgehog tunnels and holes in south-west London is playing a part in helping one of Britain's most vulnerable animals survive in the capital.

Alice Mallorie has spent years adapting her garden in Barnes to make it more accessible to hedgehogs, and these routes form part of a wider community initiative which has become known locally as the hedgehog highway.

Openings have been created in fences and walls, including a passage drilled through a thick Victorian boundary, allowing the animals to move freely between neighbouring spaces.

Rare species, some not recorded locally for more than 15 years, are returning to west Norfolk following a decade-long partnership between Natural England and local farmer Olly Birkbeck.

Massingham Heath, on the Little Massingham Estate, was once intensively-farmed arable land, heavily reliant on fertilisers and pesticides. With support from Natural England, the site has been transformed into a thriving mosaic of grassland, wildflowers and scrub that now supports a rich variety of wildlife. And the results have been striking.

A project to help save one of the UK's rarest native trees has begun in North Yorkshire.

As part of the Forgotten Flora project, the Howardian Hills Partnership and North York Moors National Park want to increase the population of black poplar trees which has dwindled to around 7,000 trees in the UK and Ireland.

"Of the 7,000 or so trees left, only about 600 are female and the rest male. This severely limits natural seed reproduction," said project leader Ambrose Greenfield.

The nation’s forests made more welcoming, inclusive and accessible for thousands as £4m funding announced

Thousands more people will be able to benefit from time in nature, supporting physical and mental wellbeing and helping to reduce pressure on public services, following a new £4 million government investment toimprove access to the nation’s forests.

Forestry England says the funding will help more people enjoy the health and wellbeing benefits of spending time outdoors, particularly those who currently face the greatest barriers to accessing green space. This includes people with disabilities, older visitors, families with additional access needs, and those who may not frequently visit the countryside due to perceived or physical barriers.