The Mexican Environment Secretary, Rafael Pacchia, says that the number of monarch butterflies hibernating in his country will be three to four times greater this winter than it has been in recent years, writes Richard Collins

THE short daylight hours of the Christmas holidays and of winter in general offer the opportunity for those who enjoy the outdoor world to read up on the finer details of natural history and be replete with knowledge and curiosity when the world reopens to welcome a new spring.

THIS April day is wild and beautiful, small white clouds high in a blue sky, and waves breaking in white horses on a blue sea.