Nature in the arts

The colour green is synonymous with nature and the environmental movement – an association that goes back thousands of years, writes James Fox.

The butterfly has symbolised ephemerality – and rebirth – for millennia, writes Matthew Wilson.

A 1980s green project by the German artist Joseph Beuys has inspired a contemporary art duo. Bel Jacobs speaks to them about activism, hope, regeneration – and the power of nature.

New research shows that even digital soundscapes of forests, rivers and meadows aid wellbeing. Arwa Haider explores the soothing power of noises from nature – combined with music.

In a new series that explores the ways that nature inspires artists, Cath Pound looks at the paintings of the natural world that can soothe and uplift us in difficult times.

As a new book looks at one man’s journey along the Pacific Crest Trail in the US, Cameron Laux explores how writers, artists and thinkers have viewed our place in the natural world.

Trees can save your life, and make you happy and mentally strong, according to a new wave of writers. Lindsay Baker explores the rise of the literary tree hugger.

From ‘moor-gallop’ to ‘Northern nanny’, ‘stoating’ to ‘specking’, British English has hundreds of words for weather – and no, not all of them mean ‘rain’. Christine Ro investigates.