A rare snowdrop is looking rather glum as another variety has become the most expensive snowdrop bulb ever sold.
The distinctive “Grumpy” snowdrop which has two eyes and a turned-down mouth etched on one of its petals sells for around £100 a bulb. But a single bulb of the Scottish Elizabeth Harrison, Galanthus woronowii, snowdrop has gone for a massive £725 on eBay.
Christmas tree growers in Britain are in desperate need of a COLD snap to toughen up their trees for the festive season.
Homeowners in parts of Britain have been told to reduce their water consumption because of a WINTER drought.
East Anglia has experienced some of the lowest levels of rainfall since records began this year, heightening fears of a water shortage next summer.
The counties of Cambridgeshire, South Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire only had HALF the normal rainfall during September and October and with the mild weather continuing this month there are concerns the water reserves will reach a critical level next summer.
Anglian Water has now applied for a winter drought permit, so it can drain extra water from the River Nene to feed its reservoirs in Pitsford and Rutland Water, which are only half full. Farmers are also irrigating at night time to reduce the amount of water evaporating as the November weather is so warm.
Thousands of British poinsettias are still GREEN compared to this time last year as UK farmers struggle in the credit crunch with high heating and growing costs.
A mischievous puppy has escaped death TWICE after swallowing a FROG and a COW.
Vets were shocked when they x-rayed golden Labrador Chester and found a 10-cm plastic frog toy filling his stomach.
Then just six weeks later owners Marion and Neale Clarke had to take the 21-month-old pup back to the vets after he ate a squeaky cow toy.
“Both times we knew he had swallowed a toy, but we weren’t exactly sure what,” said Mr Clarke. “The vets were rather shocked when they did the x-ray and saw the frog with its huge goggle eyes. None of us could believe he had managed to swallow such a big toy.”
A petrol head pooch is living life in the fast lane after his motorbike-mad owners bought him his own SIDECAR.
Harley, a 17-month-old St Bernard, even has his own crash hat and doggles to go “motorbarking” on the side of the Honda Gold Wing 1200 at speeds of up to 55mph.
As the ZEBRA CROSSING celebrates its 60th anniversary in Britain experts say it is facing EXTINCTION.
The first zebra crossing was officially opened in Slough, Berkshire, on October 31, 1951 and the crossings have been a prominent feature of the British landscape for six decades.
But over the last five years more than 1,000 zebra crossings have vanished and many others have been replaced by fewer more sophisticated alternatives with lights and flashing signs.
A COW was given a red card by a startled referee after it invaded the pitch during a football game.
The two tonne cow charged at the 22 stunned players just 10 minutes into the adult league football game in the village of Potterspury, Bucks
Glamour model Katie Price WON a high brow debate at the historic Cambridge Union.
The 33-year-old admitted she was not very good at speaking and looked nervous at the start as she gave her 10 minute speech in front of 800 Cambridge University students.
But despite forgetting her lines, the former page three model, who was debating the issue of female success and ambition, beat the opposing team and got a loud cheer from the audience.
Katie was part of a team opposing the motion: 'This house believes the only limit to female success is female ambition' and clashed with Boris Johnson’s younger sister Rachel, 47, editor of The Lady, who was on the other side.
Professor Stephen Hawking may lose his famous computerised American VOICE. The world’s most famous physicist has been told to switch to new voice technology as his speech has now slowed to just ONE WORD a minute.
The Cambridge University professor is losing the use of nerves in his cheek which allow him to communicate by computer through an infrared sensor mounted inside his mouth. But Hawking is said to be reluctant to give up his world-renowned electronic voice he has had for 35 years.
“His speech has got slower and slower and on a bad day he can only manage about one word a minute,” said Judith Croasdell, his personal assistant. “We think it may be because of the deterioration in his check muscle. We are looking to improve the situation and he needs to test out new technology.”
A 72-year-old pensioner who still plays football weekly has become Britain’s oldest GOALKEEPER.
Colin Lee started playing football when he was just six and has now been hitting the pitch regularly for an incredible 66 YEARS.
These incredible photos show the wonderful array of wildlife which can be found hidden in Britain's endangered wetlands.
Pop princess Kylie has become Dr Minogue after receiving an honorary degree for her work promoting breast cancer awareness.
Kylie, 43, was diagnosed with the disease in 2005 and had surgery and chemotherapy before getting the all-clear a year later.
She received an honorary Doctor of Health Science award from Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford, Essex, at a special ceremony.
A new species of sea creature, which has never been seen anywhere else before, has been discovered on the world’s longest underwater chalk reef – off the coast of NORFOLK.
An Essex girl has beaten the rest of Europe to be crowned the sexiest vegetarian of the year.
Stunning Sophie Barrett, 21, beat hundreds of entries from across the continent to win the competition for the cutest and most compassionate vegetarian in Europe.
A British school girl has become the youngest drag racer in the world – just ONE DAY after her EIGHTH birthday.
Petite Belle Wheeler passed her drag racing driving test a day after she turned eight – the minimum legal age for youngsters to get behind the wheel.
Novelist Jeffrey Archer ran by courageous wife Mary's side at a charity race as she made her first public appearance since overcoming a potentially fatal form of bladder cancer.
The former politician was NOT registered in the race but wanted to be by his wife's side as she bravely ran 1.7 miles just FIVE MONTHS after undergoing major surgery to have the diseased organ removed.
Out of sight of the judges, Lord Archer sneakily joined the race 200 metres after the start and pulled out 100 metres before the finish so he could support Dr Archer in the famous Chariots of Fire relay race.
A man has become the FIRST person to eat the world’s BIGGEST English breakfast.
Steven Magee, 29, is the only person in six years who has been able to demolish the giant fry-up, which weighs a whopping THREE KILOS.
It is not a sight you would normally expect to see in the back of a taxi. So shoppers do a double take when grandfather Gordon Elliott squeezes his pet REINDEER in the back of his cab to go Christmas shopping.
The 68-year-old stuns shoppers when he pulls up in his local high street and Dobbey the reindeer jumps out of the car.
Everyone claims to hate them so not all will be pleased to hear this Christmas is set to be a BUMPER year for British Brussels SPROUTS - which are 20 PER CENT BIGGER than normal.
British farmers say it has been an exceptionally good year for the much-loathed green vegetable which has ripened THREE WEEKS early this year. This year's crop of sprouts is also bigger - weighing 25g instead of 20g - sweeter and more flavoursome, thanks to the unusually warm winter weather.
"It has been a really good year for sprouts and the yields are much higher than they have been for the past six years," said John Lankfer, who grows 70 acres of sprouts on his farm in Wisbech, Cambs.