A crocodile sped through the water like a torpedo toward a desperate red lechwe antelope in Botswana recently, prompting a life-and-death dash to shore. (Watch the video below.)
In footage posted Tuesday by the wildlife platform Latest Sightings, observers on a boat can be heard cheering for the buck as it leaps and swims as fast as it can ahead of the closing reptile in the Chobe River.
The croc gets distracted by the boat for a moment before churning into high gear at the antelope. The suspense soars as the croc catches and pounces on the red lechwe.
But the antelope manages to buck off the predator and bound onto land. Race over.
The red lechwe is suited for running in water partly because of a water-repellent substance on its fur.
Good thing for this antelope. Bad thing for the croc.
“It was a truly incredible experience to witness such a dramatic and intense struggle,” videographer Caitlyn Earwaker and Lucy Whitehead told Latest Sightings.
You are reading Anywhere But Here, our summer-long series on travel at home and abroad, serving up the information and inspiration you need.
When we see a beautiful field of flowers, it makes us want to do one of two things: pick them or post a pic of them.
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Well, we’re in luck, as it’s the Flower Farmers’ Big Weekend from August 13-15 – an invitation for flower lovers to meet growers from across the UK, explore their fields, pick an arm (or posy) full, where allowed – and generally learn what goes on behind the scenes to produce these incredible blooms.
In fact, the PYO (pick-your-own) flower scene is only growing in popularity in this country, so much so that the team at holidaycottages.co.uk have rounded up some of the prettiest flower fields to visit over the summer months.
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Try not snapping this lot to the gram – we know you won’t be able to resist.
1. Dahlia Beach, Millets Farm, Oxfordshire
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Millets Farm claims to be the UK’s largest pick-your-own spot for dahlias – very much the flower of the moment. As well as PYO, the farm runs workshops, such as a guide to growing borders, which takes place on the pink double decker Dahlia Beach bus.
2. Strawberry Fields, Lifton, Devon
Lifton Farm marks the changing of the seasons with an evolving range of pick-your-own experiences from strawberries to maize to sunflowers to pumpkins. August is very much sunflower time – and the farm shop is also worth a visit.
Strawberry Fields, Lifton, Devon, PL16 0DE
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3. Flower Fields at Wyke Manor Estate, Worcestershire
As well as more sunflowers, the main attraction at Wyke Manor Estate is the Confetti Field, which is harvested to create petal confetti every summer. Check out the virtual field online first to plot your day.
Wick, Pershore, Worcestershire WR10 3NZ
4. Vine House Farm, Lincolnshire
Vine House Farm’s main business is bird food, but their sunflower fields are also spectacular and best seen in August. Don’t miss the shop and cafe too.
Main Road, Deeping St Nicholas, Spalding PE11 3DG
5. Blooming Green, Kent
Blooming Green’s pick-your-own haven is open every Saturday between June and October, and is particularly popular with those doing a DIY wedding. Flowers don’t get much fresher and the tea and cake is also rated very highly.
Loddington Farm, Linton, Maidstone ME17 4AG
6. Cairnie Fruit Farm, Fife
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Cairnie Fruit Farm spans 120 acres of Scottish countryside and is open between June and September to visitors. It’s hard to pick what to pick: succulent berries and cherries or sunflowers and other blooms from the beautiful fields of Fife.
Cairnie, Cupar KY15 4QD
Travel is the story of our summer. The rules (and traffic lights) are always changing, but one thing’s clear, we dream of being Anywhere But Here. This seasonal series offers you clear-headed travel advice, ideas-packed staycation guides, clever swaps and hacks, and a healthy dose of wanderlust.
Blossom is coming to the UK – in a big way. The National Trust has announced it’ll be planting more blossoming tree circles in towns and cities across the country “to help signal reflection and hope” following the pandemic.
The conservation charity hopes to spark an annual marking of the season akin to Japan’s hanami – the ancient tradition of viewing and celebrating cherry blossom as the first sign of spring.
The hope is to extend our newfound appreciation of nature that got so many people through the first lockdown in spring 2020, and to give tourism a bit of a boost once it’s able to resume.
The first new blossom circle will be at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London and will include 33 UK-grown trees, including cherry, plum, hawthorn and crab apple, to represent the 33 London boroughs.
It’ll be joined by more blossom-friendly green spaces in and around urban areas over the next five years, to connect more people to nature.
Can’t wait until then? Here’s some amazing blossom photos from around the world to get you in the mood for spring.
