Dr Paul Evans

Who am I?

Best known as the author of the Guardian’s Country Diary, Paul Evans is a naturalist, broadcaster of natural-history documentaries and award-winning dramas for Radio 4, and performance poet. He writes for publications including BBC Wildlife, Geographical, The National Trust Magazine and Country Living; and his work appears in many anthologies. He has had his poetry set to music by an American folk group and even been the subject of an MA at a Belgian university. He lives with his family in Much Wenlock, Shropshire where he was born.

Publications

• Books (authored/edited/special issues)

  P. Evans, T. Dee, H. Mort, G. Clarke, L. Cracknell (2918). Cornerstones.From Dartmoor to the Arctic Circle. M. Smalley. Toller Fratrum: Little Toller Books.

  P. Evans, MN. Varvera Oak Earth - the view from a one-legged stool. The Guild of St George.

  P. Evans, R. Heholt, H. Sullivan, J. Smith, S. Saguaro 'Z Vesper (The Wilderness Garden)' a chapter in Edney, Sue (ed.) EcoGothic Gardens in the Long Nineteenth Century: Phantoms, Fantasy and Uncanny Flowers. Manchester University Press.

  P. Evans (2021). Poetry Rebellion Poems and prose to rewild the spirit. P. Evans. Batsford.

  H. Macdonald, M. Harrison, C. Packham, P. Barkham, M. Colwell, et al. T. Dee, P. Evans. (2018). A Nightingale Sang The 10 th Annual New Networks for Nature Event 2018. New Network for Nature.

  J. Burnside, L. Cracknell, A. Garner, G. Clarke, S. Clifford, et al. T. Dee, R. Ferraby, A. Hallett, F. Hamilton, D. Johnson, J. Mark, S. Maitland, H. Mort, G. Moseley, S. Moss, P. Randall-Page, R. Turnbull, S. Wheeler, E. Woolfson. (2018). Anthology: Cornerstones edited by Mark Smalley. Stories in all landscapes begin below the surface of the earth. Bedrock speaks first through the variety of soils, plants and animals that live above ground, then shapes the way people farm land, worship their gods and build villages, towns and cities. To understand the distinct quality of any place, first we must peel back the skin of the earth. Adapted from the acclaimed BBC Radio 3 series, Cornerstones invites writers from around the world to consider the ground beneath their feet. Distinguished by a strong sense of place and characterised by close, personal observation, the pieces in this collection take us away from the familiar surfaces of life and express the awe that we feel when encountering the invisible heft, grain and rub of the subterranean world. Contributors include: John Burnside, Linda Cracknell, Alan Garner, Gillian Clarke, Sue Clifford, Tim Dee, Paul Evans, Rose Ferraby, Alyson Hallett, Fiona Hamilton, Diane Johnson, Daniel Kalder, Jason Mark, Sara Maitland, Helen Mort, Gina Moseley, Sarah Moss, Peter Randall-Page, Ronald Turnbull, Sara Wheeler, Esther Woolfson Hardback, Published 24th July 2018. Little Toller Books.

  PM. Evans (2018). Herbaceous. Little Toller Books.

  PM. Evans, G. Orwell, R. Carson, . Captain Scott (2017). Spring: A Folio Anthology. S. Bradbury.

  PM. Evans (2017). Field Notes From The Edge paperback edition. S. Lascelles. London: Rider Books.

  G. Greer, S. Armitage, R. Mabey, K. Jamie, J. Griffiths, et al. A. Smith, D. Nash, F. Stafford, S. Maitland, T. Dee. (2016). Arboreal - A new anthology that explores the many strands of what woodlands mean to us. A. Cooper. Little Toller Books.

  C. Dickens, M. Web, P. Larking, M. McCarthy, E. Woolfson (2016). Summer: An Anthology for the Changing Seasons Edited by Melissa Harrison. M. Harrison. Elliot & Thompson & Wildlife Trusts.

  P. Evans (2015). Field Notes from the Edge. S. Lascelles. Ebury Publishing Random House.

  PM. Evans, MD. Cunningham, I. Dharker, P. Prior-Pitt, CA. Duffy, et al. R. Goddard, . and many others. (2015). Wenlock Poetry Festival Anthology 2015. N. Kingsley. Fair Acre Press.

  PM. Evans (2014). Herbaceous. A. Cooper. Toller Fratrum: Little Toller Books.

  CA. Duffy, D. Aitkenhead, JK. Rowling, M. Engel, P. Toynbee, et al. C. Brooker, PM. Evans. (2013). The Bedside Guardian 2013. M. Wainwright. Guardian Books.

  S. Harrison, M. Kennedy, J. Fulton, R. Beaumond, L. Carey, et al. S. Cooper, . and many more. (2013). Words and Wild Places, Poetry and prose from Shropshire Hills. Caring for God's Acre.

  DH. Lawrence, W. Owen, M. Webb, AE. Houseman, J. Betjeman, et al. P. Posthlethwaite, K. Swift, . and many others. (2013). Nearest Earthly Place to Paradise. M. Wilson. Merlin Unwin Books..

  M. Bell, S. Borodale, I. Dharker, F. Hughes, F. Sampson, et al. . and many more. (2013). Wenlock Poetry Festival Anthology 2013. Wenlock Poetry Festival.

  J. Vidal, T. Eagleton, N. Banks-Smith, D. Aitkenhead, S. Jenkins, et al. . and many more. (2012). The Bedside Guardian 2012. S. Bates. Guardian Books.

  P. Toghill, I. Dormor, G. Williams, P. Carty, S. Whild, et al. . and many more, P. Evans. (2011). The Living Edge: A Wanderer’s Guide to Wenlock Edge. B. Vickery. National Trust.

  D. Attenborough, M. Allen, SP. Ellis, PM. Evans (2011). Nature Tales: Encounters with Britain's Wildlife. M. Allen, S. Patel Ellis. Elliott & Thompson.

  N. Kingsley, PM. Evans, M. Oats, . and many others (2011). Shropshire Butterflies A Poetic and Artistic Guide to the Butterflies of Shropshire. N. Kingsley. Fair Acre Press.

  . Caught By The River, . 23 other authors, PM. Evans (2011). On Nature Unexpected Ramblings on the British Countryside. HarperCollins UK.

  CA. Duffy, S. Armitage, I. Dharker, J. Hegley, J. Kay, et al. I. McMillan, A. Motion, . and many more, PM. Evans. (2011). Wenlock Poetry Festival Anthology 2011. Ellingham Press.

  PM. Evans (2010). Wild Life - The Value of Wild Nature. London: Halcyon Gallery.

  A. Ellis, JH. Sulkowski, S. Winterburn, . Parker G, S. Gudgeon, et al. PM. Evans. (2010). Sporting Life. Halcyon Gallery.

  W. Condry, M. Wainwright, C. Baines, R. Macfarlane, Z. Williams, et al. N. Banks-Smith, . and many more, PM. Evans. (2008). The Guardian Book of the Countryside. M. Wainwright, R. Petrie. Guardian Books.

  P. Daoust, R. Petrie (2008). 'Guardian' Book of the Countryside. Guardian Books.

  F. Gates, J. Perrin, M. Cocker, G. McBryde, V. Spiers, et al. PM. Evans, . and many others. (2007). The Guardian Book of Wartime Country Diaries. M. Wainwright. Guardian Books.

  T. Coward, J. Case, A. Boyd, G. McBryde, W. Condry, et al. E. Wilson, J. Perrin, PM. Evans, . many more. (2006). A Gleaming Landscape: A Hundred Years of the Guardian's Country Diary. M. Wainwright. Aurum Press Ltd.

  PM. Evans, T. Heald, A. Sebba, M. Hanson, W. Palmer, et al. . and many others. (2006). Slightly Foxed No.10 Summer. G. Pirkis, H. Wood. Slightly Foxed Limited.

  . Alan Hunt, PM. Evans (2006). On The Edge, Alan Hunt,. London: Halcyon Gallery.

  PM. Evans, H. Evans, M. O'Kane, P. Toynbee, M. Foot (2000). The Guardian Year 2000. M. McNay. The Guardian.

  H. Andrassy, G. Carter, S. Escritt, PM. Evans, I. Finkel, et al. C. Ford, A. Gatti, N. Hawkes, B. Kirkpatrick, J. Kirkwood, H. McCurdy, R. Monger, R. Richardson, H. Wilkinson, A. Williamson. (1998). Origins of everyday things. R. Binney, K. Davies, C. Johnson, P. Lawson, M. Moisy. London: Readers Digest.

  PM. Evans, M. Rowson, J. Vidal, A. Rusbridger, N. Banks-Smith, et al. B. Cartland, Z. Broughton, J. Berger. (1997). The Guardian Year Book '97. J. Ezard. Fourth Estate.

  M. Shoard, C. Hampson, D. Tyldesley, T. Cordy, . et al (1990). Councils For Wildlife Guide. D. Tyldesley, I. Collis. BANK.

• Journal articles

  PM. Evans (2017). Wool on the wire that feeds on fog. Guardian Country Diary. 9,000,000 +,

  PM. Evans (2017). The tiny world in a rotten post top. The Guardian. 9,000,000 +,

  PM. Evans (2017). Toadstools in a Shrewsbury graveyard. The Guardian. 9,000,000 +,

  PM. Evans (2016). Rusty limes frozen in an arrested autumn. The Guardian. 9,000,000 +,

  PM. Evans (2016). Winter woods seen through the eyes of a buzzard. The Guardian. 9,000,000 +,

  PM. Evans (2016). Hogweed magic mocks the cold snap. The Guardian. 9,000,000 +,

  PM. Evans (2016). All the colours of a November evening. The Guardian. 9,000,000 +,

  PM. Evans (2016). As autumn leaves fall, subversion is in the air. The Guardian. 9,000,000 +,

  PM. Evans (2016). Echoes of War Amid The Sound of Nightingales. Resurgence & Ecologist.

  PM. Evans (2016). Rain Sideways. The Clearing.

  PM. Evans (2015). A Cinema of Roses. Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today Newspaper.

  J. Vidal (2014). From the steppe to central Spain, Europe echoes to the howl of the wolf. The Guardian. 9,000,000 +,

  PM. Evans (2013). An Elephant In The Woods. Resurgence & Ecologist.

  PM. Evans (2013). Bearing Down On Wildlife. Resurgence & Ecologist.

  PM. Evans (2012). Pricing Nature. Resurgence & Ecologist.

  PM. Evans (2011). How to be a nature writer. BBC Wildlife Magazine.

  PM. Evans (2011). Saviour of the Snakes. Country Living.

  PM. Evans (2010). The Tragedy Of Biodiversity. Resurgence & Ecologist.

  PM. Evans (2009). Diversionary tactics - the imaginative campaigns protecting the countryside from developers. The Guardian. 9,000,000 +,

  PM. Evans (2009). Vantage point for a visionary. The Guardian. 9,000,000 +,

  PM. Evans (2009). Salted away. The Guardian. 9,000,000 +,

  PM. Evans (2008). Council obstructs family's ethical land project. The Guardian.

  PM. Evans (2008). Foul deeds or fair prey?. The Guardian. 9,000,000 +,

  PM. Evans (2008). Where there's life, there's hope for conservation. The Guardian.

  PM. Evans (2008). Woodlands Tree Change. National Trust Magazine.

  PM. Evans (2008). A recession will give ecological development a new life. The Guardian. 9,000,000 +,

  PM. Evans (2008). Growing awareness. The Guardian. 9,000,000 +,

  PM. Evans (2008). A world apart. The Guardian.

  PM. Evans (2008). Porous defences. The Guardian.

  PM. Evans (2000). Words of a feather. BBC Wildlife Magazine.

  PM. Evans (2000). Rhyme or reason?. BBC Wildlife Magazine.

  PM. Evans (1998). Gardening on the edge. BBC Wildlife Magazine.

  PM. Evans (1998). The Wildlife Interview, Valmick Thapar. BBC Wildlife Magazine.

  PM. Evans (1993). Working With Nature. Tree News.

  PM. Evans (1992). The Need For An Environmental Ethic. Resurgence.

  PM. Evans (1989). Response to Peretti, 'Nativism and Nature'. Environmental Values. pp.198-200.

• Other

  PM. Evans (2018). Country diary: a Welsh garden at its psychedelic best.

  PM. Evans (2018). Guardian Country diary: forget-me-nots have a heart of gold.

  PM. Evans (2018). Guardian Country diary: a hedgebank full of the fragrance of verdure Wenlock Edge, Shropshire: I collect leaves of garlic mustard, ground ivy, nettle, dandelion, cow parsley and lords and ladies, roll them into a ball and inhale.Garlic mustard, Alliaria petiolata, has suddenly materialised in the hedgebank: white, cruciform flowers of the cabbage family with skin-like apple-green, dog-toothed, glossy leaves. In the white pulse of spring, with dazzling blackthorn and wild cherry above and an under-flow of wood anemone, wild garlic, white deadnettle (where all the carder bees are), and cow parsley coming, less flashy plants such as garlic mustard are often overlooked. There are the blues of forget-me-not (some of which are also white), ground ivy, bluebell, dog and sweet violet and the yellows of dandelion, cowslip, primrose and the last of the celandines. But spring is not all about colours, it’s also about scent. When touched, the leaves of garlic mustard smell, as their name suggests, of a mustardy garlic. Those of ground ivy, Glechoma hederacea of the mint family, smell somewhere between catnip and cat pee.

  PM. Evans (2018). Guardian Country diary: a toad dressed for a party.

  PM. Evans (2018). Guardian Country diary: a waterscape rewilded.

  PM. Evans (2018). Guardian Country diary: avian pipers at the gates of dawn.

  PM. Evans (2018). Guardian Country diary: a landscape reshaped by molehills.

  PM. Evans (2018). Guardian Country diary: wild garlic makes the greenwood greener.

  V. Astley, P. Townshend, A. Miller, G. Clarke (2018). Book Review: The English River by Virginia Astley.

  PM. Evans (2017). Exotic paradox in the herbaceous borders.

  PM. Evans (2017). A storytelling of crows.

  PM. Evans (2017). Mining bees create a theatre of enchantments.

  PM. Evans (2017). The footballer hoverfly is a little fist of bling.

  PM. Evans (2017). The white pulse of May illuminates the lanes.

  PM. Evans (2017). Sweetness of woodruff lingers down the ages.

  PM. Evans (2017). The ancient magic of apple blossom time.

  PM. Evans (2017). Milkwort steals the show at Figsbury Ring.

  PM. Evans (2017). The bee-fly is a true sprite of spring.

  PM. Evans (2017). Like love, violets gladden the heart.

  PM. Evans (2017). Lament of the Nightingale.

  PM. Evans (2017). Water spins into a million bubbles filled with light.

  PM. Evans, D. Goulson, R. Smyth, R. Benson, S. White, et al. K. Herbert, S. Hudston, J. Perrin, . and others. (2017). It's blooming spring! The 20 best UK walks with a great pub lunch.

  PM. Evans (2017). Simplicity and symbolism in flowers and poems.

  PM. Evans (2017). Snowdrops: something at last to cheer about.

  PM. Evans (2017). There's nothing dull about dunnocks.

  PM. Evans (2017). These squirrels are not native. So what?.

  PM. Evans (2017). Wool on the wire that feeds on fog.

  P. Evans (2017). BBC Radio 3: Cornerstones, Coal.

  PM. Evans (2017). The tiny world in a rotten post top.

  PM. Evans (2017). Toadstools in a Shrewsbury graveyard.

  PM. Evans (2016). Crow and the vernal egg.

  PM. Evans (2016). A boundary marker, a meeting place, a gallows?.

  PM. Evans (2016). The gothic charm of cormorants.

  PM. Evans (2016). Halo in the sky, a supernatural glow.

  PM. Evans (2016). Feral and beyond the pale at Candlemas.

  PM. Evans (2016). Plashy utopia of the rain inspectors.

  PM. Evans (2016). Hunger games in the weird wildwood.

  PM. Evans (2015). Gale throws wildlife homes to the ground.

  PM. Evans (2015). Sleepy hollow under a gothic mask.

  PM. Evans (2015). Ivy club leaving do for the insect sodality.

  PM. Evans (2015). Leaves turning fiery like metal blades in a forge.

  PM. Evans (2015). Beguiling berries wait for the birds.

  PM. Evans (2015). Leap of faith for a timeless being.

  PM. Evans (2015). Haws light way for the worm hunters.

  PM. Evans (2015). The strange world of knopper galls.

  PM. Evans (2015). How to identify seaweed.

  PM. Evans (2015). Spirit of Pan in the briar.

  PM. Evans (2015). We must all realise why botany and Kew Gardens really matter.

  PM. Evans BBC Radio 4: Radio Poem The Spirit Child.

  PM. Evans (2015). Insects find lifeline in the busiest of busy lizzies.

  PM. Evans (2015). The bucolic noble savage - alive in my head?.

  PM. Evans (2015). Kronking ravens and flower oracles - our natural barometers?.

  PM. Evans (2015). Blot out and backcross: the butterfly’s genetic secret?.

  PM. Evans (2015). A commonwealth of beetles inhabits the wayside weeds.

  PM. Evans (2015). The flycatcher and the fly - an eternal dance on the wing.

  PM. Evans (2015). Ode to a Raven has a different ring.

  PM. Evans (2015). Strangeness and beauty of the bee orchid.

  PM. Evans (2015). Late early purple orchid joins the colony.

  PM. Evans (2015). Yellow and rubbery - not a duck but a chicken of the woods.

  PM. Evans (2015). Heavenly beliefs fix on oxeye’s gaze.

  PM. Evans (2015). Rooks among the rocks.

  PM. Evans (2015). Song thrush bursts with soul.

  PM. Evans (2015). Green spirit awakening in May.

  PM. Evans (2015). Senses stirred by blackthorn’s snow.

  PM. Evans (2015). Squalls cleave a veteran of the field.

  PM. Evans (2015). Seasonal splash of colour from wild flowers is fading away.

  PM. Evans (2015). Momentous and ephemeral: the flowering of the first violet.

  PM. Evans (2015). Dazzling light at the Devil’s Chair.

  PM. Evans (2015). Burnt cakes and ticking bombs.

  PM. Evans (2015). Hazards galore in squirrel’s hunt for food.

  PM. Evans (2015). A Beau Geste of robins.

  PM. Evans (2015). Pagan blessing for the moon and hare.

  PM. Evans (2015). Social climber with a crusty bark.

  PM. Evans (2015). Catkin and comet, earthly and celestial keepers of time and motion.

  PM. Evans (2015). Brittle chill refreshes mist-cloaked land.

  L. Adkins, N. Duffy, K. Aubrey, A. Kettle, L. Biggs, et al. C. Williams, S. Bonnell, N. Royle, E. Bryne, J. McCullagh, D. Cooper, L. Raven, S. Dixon, B. Schoene, P. Evans, . et al. Made in Translation.

  PM. Evans (2014). Blushing fungi tunes into bells of wrens and barks of ravens.

  PM. Evans (2014). Sycamore seeds swizzle down like tiny helicopters to the ground.

  PM. Evans (2014). Wayside’s everlasting archangel blooms still, even as the days draw in.

  PM. Evans (2014). Burning red the hawthorn brings to mind moots and magic rituals.

  PM. Evans (2014). Puck’s little pink flowers of mischief.

  PM. Evans (2014). Grey for danger, red for hope.

  PM. Evans (2014). The Woods are where the action is.

  PM. Evans (2014). Young hedgehog bristles with delight over pigeon head supper.

  PM. Evans (2014). The seabirds of midwife island.

  PM. Evans (2014). The intoxication of the speckled wood.

  PM. Evans (2014). Signs and portents.

  PM. Evans (2014). An ant orgy.

  PM. Evans (2014). A foundling magpie.

  PM. Evans (2014). That obscure orchid of desire.

  PM. Evans (2014). Slightly stoned insects make love.

  PM. Evans (2014). The view from the cuckoo spit.

  PM. Evans (2014). The daisy, the spider and the damselfly.

  PM. Evans (2014). A dazzling beacon bids farewell to May.

  PM. Evans (2014). Young buck with spring in his step.

  PM. Evans (2014). Hope springs up in our meadows.

  PM. Evans (2014). A ghostly flower makes its appearance, with a touch of the macabre.

  PM. Evans (2014). Blood moon rising.

  PM. Evans (2014). On a wing and a prayer.

  PM. Evans (2014). Marsh marigolds jump into life like a bawdy old song.

  PM. Evans (2014). Sweet violets, a cure for melancholy.

  PM. Evans (2014). The sun comes out and it is like throwing the switch on a funfair.

  PM. Evans (2014). After the floods, the first signs of spring.

  PM. Evans (2014). The Severn takes its old lands back.

  PM. Evans (2014). February’s fair maids are out for Imbolc.

  PM. Evans (2014). All's well until it doesn't end well on a walk through the woods.

  PM. Evans (2014). Conspiratorial mutterings in the hedge.

  PM. Evans (2013). An Elephant in the Wood.

  PM. Evans (2013). Sring is in the air - and Zoroastrians and hares and pagans. And me. The Guardian.

  PM. Evans (2013). Bearing Down On Wildlife.

  PM. Evans (2012). Pricing Nature.

  PM. Evans (2010). The Tragedy Of Biodiversity.

  PM. Evans (2010). Pine martens make comeback in UK after leading a secret life for decades.

  PM. Evans (2009). Unique wildlife on Robinson Crusoe island at risk from goats and brambles. The Guardian.

  PM. Evans (2009). These are the days of wild roses.

  PM. Evans (2009). Reintroduced species: Nature doesn’t care about righting historic wrongs. The Guardian.

  PM. Evans (2009). Wildly ambitious.

  PM. Evans (2008). Natural balance. The Guardian.

  PM. Evans (2008). A world apart. The Guardian.

  PM. Evans (2008). Tortuous paths. The Guardian.

  PM. Evans (2008). Season's greetings.

  PM. Evans (2008). Woolly thinking.

  PM. Evans (2007). Bare necessities.

  PM. Evans (2007). Giving too much ground.

  PM. Evans (2007). Seed sence.

  PM. Evans (2007). The lark v the butterfly. The Guardian.

  PM. Evans (2007). Missing monitors. The Guardian.

  PM. Evans (2007). Heart of the Mata.

  PM. Evans (2007). Business as usual.

  PM. Evans (2006). The Thrill of the chase.

  PM. Evans (2006). Return of the native.

  PM. Evans (2006). Unnatural selection.

  PM. Evans (2005). In the mire.

  PM. Evans (2005). Bird's-eye views.

  PM. Evans (2005). Awkward squads.

  PM. Evans (2005). Burying treasure.

  PM. Evans (2004). Divided loyalty.

  PM. Evans, J. Vidal (2004). New fungus may bring sudden death to Britain's oaks.

  PM. Evans (2004). Sale of the centuries.

  PM. Evans (2004). How does your garden grow.

  PM. Evans (2004). India fears public health catastrophe as vultures head for extinction.

  PM. Evans (2004). Pirates of the high fields.

  PM. Evans (2004). The rot's set in.

  PM. Evans (2004). Growing pains.

  PM. Evans (2003). Reappearing act.

  PM. Evans (2003). Foreign fields.

  PM. Evans (2002). The power and the glory.

  PM. Evans (2002). Truth is beauty.

  PM. Evans (2002). Flower Power.

  PM. Evans (2002). Burning issues.

  PM. Evans (2000). Movers and shakers.

  PM. Evans (1999). The Beast in all of us.

  PM. Evans (1999). Limestone cowboys.

  PM. Evans (1999). Blinded by light.

  PM. Evans (1998). Crow Nation - Ted Hughes celebrated the wild.

  PM. Evans (1998). Barking mad.

  PM. Evans (1998). Back in your box, little minx.

  PM. Evans (1992). The taming of the trees.

  PM. Evans (1990). Use your wildest imagination.