ON THE THIS MONTH I L E Y B A : H A N N A H I O N I L LU S T R AT ; G A R D E N / A L A M Y G AT TO I O : SAV E R P E T R E L ; S TO R M I L M S F/ AT H E N A : B B C I A N I ; B R I E R G R A N : R E N ATO I M AG E C OV E R Brian May: The badgers, the farmers and me Follow the rock star’s tenyear campaign to stop the controversial badger cull and uncover the truth behind the spread of bovine tuberculosis. Catch up on iPlayer Rare Earth The Save Our Seabirds episode explores the many challenges facing seabirds, from avian flu to overfishing, and BBC Wildlife columnist Mike Dilger reports from Shetland on an extraordinary colony of storm petrels. Catch up on BBC Sounds Animal Park It’s not too late to watch this summer’s series featuring Kate Humble and Ben Fogle sharing stories from across Longleat safari park, revealing the extraordinary lengths the devoted keepers go to for the exotic creatures in their care. Catch up on BBC iPlayer Keep in touch wildlifemagazine@ourmedia.co.uk instagram.com/bbcwildlifemagazine twitter.com/WildlifeMag facebook.com/wildlifemagazine Be inspired to go wild in the garden It’s time we took joy in happy accidents PAUL McGUINNESS, EDITOR Richard Mabey – a long-time contributor to these pages – asks a most pertinent question in his feature this month (p60), about how he embraced his accidental garden. “Do we, even as conservationists with the best intentions, always have to be so paternalistic, always decide what should live and where, always presume it can’t look after itself ?” He’s talking here about gardening, but the point is clear: gardening can be a little like colonialism, treating plants as an enemy that refuses to do as it’s told, insisting instead on either growing (or not growing) where and when it suits them. As I reflect on the joys my garden gives me, I’m struck that the things I enjoy the most aren’t of my own making, but the ‘accidents’ – the result of my leaving things alone. I think it’s high time I did more of that! discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 3