Beautiful Magazines on Nature and Wildlife
Choosing to unsubscribe from boring consumerist magazines and instead gift yourself (or someone you love) a lovely magazine periodical on nature and wildlife is good on so many levels.
You can enjoy a lovely read to educate, inspire and relax. You get to support those who doing good through the media. And stop wasting money and paper on bad printed words and pictures.
Many magazines are now going to the wall, through lack of subscribers. Sometimes this is a good thing! But subscribing to one of the following publications, helps to keep interesting and important publications in print. Which also benefits nature and wildlife.
For articles on gardening, read our posts on pet-safe gardens and wildlife-friendly gardens (use no-dig gardening). Also read how to stop birds flying into windows.
British Wildlife: A Beautiful Educational Magazine
British Wildlife is published 8 times yearly, each issue has 84 pages of interesting articles from experts in their fields. Packed with illustrations, this is only available on subscription (including digital).
Sample articles are:
- Fifty years of bat protection
- Pine martens in the New Forest
- An introduction to pot beetles
- The Wildlife of London churchyards
- Conservation of the Basking Shark
- Southwest conservation of lichens
- The early lives of red deer
- Identifying British ladybirds
- Restoring mountain woodland in The Cairngorms
- Humpback whale sightings in England
A Beautiful Magazine on Sustainable Living
Resurgence & Ecologist Magazine is a beautiful publication that has been edited for over 30 years on a Devon kitchen table by its founder, ecological writer and former Jain monk Satish Kumar.
It offers environmental essays, poetry, art and veggie recipes (you can download a free copy). And join local meet-ups to discuss each bi-monthly issue (download a free info pack). Or join the Resurgence Trust for access to print or digital copies.
Sample articles are:
- Bees: A guide for the curious
- The return of the red kite
- An excerpt from Polly Atkins’ book The Company of Owls
- Learning about wolves in Canada
- The case against AI digital technology
- Celebrating passions for trees & folk songs
- Meeting young fashion designers in Helsinki
- How to process feelings about climate change
- Caroline Lucas reviews a book on climate change
Bloom: A Magazine on Nature & Gardening
Bloom was a print magazine on nature and gardening. Due to high printing costs (it used green energy and vegetable inks), it has now decided to be just online, but it’s still just as beautiful. From rescuing sick plants to litter clean-ups.
Example articles are:
- How to save rainwater in gardens
- How to start a cut flower patch
- Designing a container garden
- Designing a nature-led garden
- Creating an ecological edible garden
- How to save sick houseplants
Good Nature Writers on Substack
Due to the high cost of printing and huge use of paper, many people (especially modern peeps who use apps!) are turning to alternative mediums like Substack (where visitors read the work of talented writers for free, supported by subscribers).
It’s a nice idea, and a way to let people do what they love (and are good at) and earn a living a the same time. All the while offering quality writing, with no ads or bias.
I’ve often had this fantasy that we should have Fox News. By which I mean news about foxes. Robin Wall Kimmerer (botanist)
Most articles are free, just subscribe for a small fee to read everything (and pay each writer’s bills!) Some of interest are:
Chasing Nature has become one of the platform’s top nature niche spots, with 10,000 subscribers by a very interesting writer from New England.
I’ve never been able to reconcile the beauty of nature with simultaneous misery in the world. Hunger and war aren’t exactly compatible with birdwatching.
Nobody forces migratory birds to head north in spring – it’s their nature. We watch and enjoy them in flight and in the green when they drop from the skies to visit or nest in May. The birds are coming. Look up – rejoice.
Slow Scottish Stories is a nice relaxing read from a woman who lives a slow simple life in the Scottish highlands. Visit for tea and a chat over quiet letters and books, for a kinder world where all are accepted.
This writer has within a short while, managed to create a full-time income from her writing here. And offers tips for others via her own writing planning template
Paul Kingsnorth has been called ‘England’s best living writer’ (even though he now lives in Ireland). After writing many books, he launched a Substack a few years back, and now has over 70,000 subscribers. He writes on nature and Christianity, for a nice blend of posts.
Substack is surging. This platform is fundamentally changing the way writers and other creators engage with audiences, and how they get paid.
Rather than paying a newspaper each month, I will spend it on the Substack writers I trust and admire. Robert Bryce
A Fun Children’s Magazine on Nature
Eco Kids Planet is a fun and colourful magazine, for children aged 7 to 11. Delivered in a paper envelope (no plastic toys attached!), this is both inspiring and educational for the future guardians of our planet.
Each issue is based on a theme. For instance:
- Web of Life: This covers the invisible threads that bond the web of nature. From tree roots that send secret signals, to fish that sing to each other!
- Secrets of the Deep: Meet glowing lanternfish and explore whale fall skeleton cities, from blobfish to sea pigs!
- Tusk Titans: Explore the biggest and boldest tusk-bearers on earth – from elephants and warthogs to narwhales and ancient sabre-toothed salmon.
The monthly magazine includes curriculum subjects, with school subscriptions available. Note that despite some images showing magnifying glasses, don’t let children examine creatures using them, as the heat and sun combined can harm wildlife.
