Welcome to Nature Matters

I am an artist, in that I like to create written and visual art. I am also a scientist, in that I took a science degree and am endlessly curious about the natural world. People I meet are surprised by this. Other artists seem faintly disgusted that I should ‘bat for the other side’ and researchers seem to think that I probably wouldn’t understand science. I remember one of my first lectures at university years ago, when the lecturer asked the audience at large, ‘What is science?’ and some bright spark piped up with, ‘It’s what takes the magic out of everything.’ Everyone laughed, of course. I thought it was sad that he thought that way.

This pale blue dot we live on is wondrous. Knowing how and why some of it works doesn’t make it any less so. Its structures, vistas, biological and geological processes, and sheer heart-wrenching beauty far surpass anything mankind can produce. If that isn’t magic, then I don’t know what is.

As an artist I have learned close observation and attention to detail, which has given me an even greater appreciation of the beauty and wonder of everything around me. As a scientist I am fascinated by how the natural world around me works.

Some pieces have derived from two decades living in Australia, and others cover global subjects, but most are UK based. However, the sentiments expressed within are universal.

All the written pieces, and images (both photos and artwork) here are my own work, and are therefore covered by copyright.

Some of the pieces have been previously published elsewhere.

The name of this website was carefully chosen. It contains matters concerning the natural world, of course, but, as we humans are at last beginning to realise, nature really does matter. I hope that you will enjoy the written pieces you find here, of course, but I also hope that maybe they will make you think a little differently about the natural world, and humanity’s place within it, and engender a little empathy with the creatures with which we share this unique planet.

Some of the pieces are fiction with fictional characters, but the facts within that fictional story are thoroughly researched through the peer reviewed literature. There is no science fiction here (see menu Creative Non-fiction). Others are observational pieces, exploring perhaps the beauty or sheer magic of something I have seen (see menu Look at This). Still others are more scientifically based, explaining a process or ecological connections (see menu Essays). Most have a storyline, and who doesn’t like a good yarn?

I will add pieces as I write them, and so the website will grow over time, and there is a comments section at the end of every piece, as well as the bottom of this page, where you may leave your views. Please check back regularly to see new material.

So, browse, read and enjoy.