• Humpback whales can give birth while migrating thousands of miles

    A mother and baby whale swim at Kiama, New South Wales, Australia. CREDIT: Vanessa Risku - Instagram @droning_my_sorrows.

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    Humpback whalesare master migrators. Some populations of this  baleen whale species travel upwards of 5,000 miles per year from colder waters to feed, towards warmer tropical waters where they give birth and care for their calves.
    However, new research on a population off Australia’s eastern coast indicates that their trips to more balmy waters are not as essential to calving as biologists thought. Calves in this population can actually be born in colder waters near New Zealand or Tasmania–about 932 miles further souththan previously known. Understanding this pattern could challenge some long-held beliefs about humpback migration and improve protection areas to help these baby whales. The findings are detailed in a study published May 20 in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.
    “Hundreds of humpback calves were born well outside the established breeding grounds,” said Tracey Rogers, a study co-author and marine ecologist at the University of New South Wales in Australia. “Giving birth along the ‘humpback highway’ means these vulnerable calves, who are not yet strong swimmers, are required to swim long distances much earlier in life than if they were born in the breeding grounds.” 
    The ‘Humpback Highway’
    In the Northern Hemisphere, humpback whales like those found on the east coast of the United States and Canada, typically migrate from colder feeding in the Northern Atlantic Ocean in the summer and south to the Caribbean for the winter to breed and calf. 
    For Southern Hemisphere humpbacks like those off the coast of Eastern Australia, the directions are flipped because of the equator. They travel from their frigid feeding grounds in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica, north towards the Pacific Ocean in Australia to breed, calve, and care for their young. 
    Finding this new baby whale hotspot arose due to study co-author and University of New South Wales Ph.D candidate Jane McPhee-Frew’s extracurricular work as a marine guide. 

    A baby whale breaches in Western Australia. Footage by Jason Milligan – Instagram: millo_hd CREDIT: Jason Milligan – Instagram: @millo_hd.
    “In July 2023, during a whale-watching tour, I encountered a mum and calf at the mouth of Newcastle Harbor—the busiest shipping port in Eastern Australia,” said McPhee-Frew. “The calf was tiny, obviously brand new. What were they doing there? But none of my tourism colleagues seemed surprised.” 
    This new sighting piqued researchers’ interest and they began investigating the calving range for humpback whales located around Australia and New Zealand. They used data from citizen science observations, government surveys, and reported strandings. New Zealand’s Department of Conservation Cook Strait Whale Project supplied data from migration surveys, and Australian state wildlife departments supplied information on strandings dating all the way back to 1991.  
    The team found 209 records of newborn calves, 41 strandings, and 168 observations of live calves, representing at least 169 individual whales. They also had data on the direction of travel for 118 whales, which showed the whales were continuing to migrate north after delivery.  
    “Humpback whale populations undertake extensive long-distance migrations from the Southern Ocean to breeding grounds in the tropics,” said study co-author Adelaide Dedden of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Australia. “They rely heavily on body reserves from an enormous amount of Antarctic krill to support the physiological costs of the journey and reproduction.”  
    The highest-latitude calf was found at Port Arthur, Tasmania–about 932 miles further south than it was believed that humpbacks could calf. 
    When they compared these observations taken over the last decade with historical texts and whaling logbooks, they say that calves born during migration were observed more often before the population crashed due to hunting. Humpback whale numbers in Australia crashed during the peak of the whaling industry, particularly during the 1960s and 1970s.
    “I think it’s very likely that this pattern has always existed, but the low number of whales obscured it from view,” said McPhee-Frew. “The Eastern Australia humpback population narrowly escaped extinction, but now there are 30, 40, or 50,000 in this population alone. It doesn’t happen overnight, but the recovery of humpback whales, and the return of their full range of behaviors and distribution, just goes to show that with good policies built on good science we can have excellent outcomes.” 
    Weighing the risks
    For all migratory species, these epic journeys cost a great deal of time and energy. The energy expenditures can leave their young vulnerable to predators. While this particular study can’t answer why humpback whales risk migrating if they can give birth further south, it’s possible that other factors are driving migration. The benefits of delivering in tropical waters might outweigh the risks of having a potential calf born along the way. 
    While the data provided by Western Australia’s Department of Biodiversity, Conservation, and Attractions pinpointed a possible nursery area in Flinders Bay, it’s likely that most calves are born much further north in the tropics. According to the team, there are several conservation implications in these findings. Some of the observed calves were injured, so expanded protected areas, awareness campaigns about protective measures boaters and the general public can take, and more research into the habitats that humpbacks use while migrating are critical to safeguarding the calves. 
    “This study was based on opportunistic observations,” cautioned McPhee-Frew. “This data is excellent for answering questions like, ‘are there newborn whales here?’ But we can’t stretch the interpretations too far. It might appear that we see more calves the further north we go, or that we have seen more over time. But it could be that there are more people whale-watching in the north, or more cameras and social media sharing in recent years.” 
    “We can only document what we see,” added study co-author Vanessa Pirotta of Macquarie University in Australia. “Perhaps there are things happening in our ocean that we are yet to find out.”
    #humpback #whales #can #give #birth
    Humpback whales can give birth while migrating thousands of miles
    A mother and baby whale swim at Kiama, New South Wales, Australia. CREDIT: Vanessa Risku - Instagram @droning_my_sorrows. Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Humpback whalesare master migrators. Some populations of this  baleen whale species travel upwards of 5,000 miles per year from colder waters to feed, towards warmer tropical waters where they give birth and care for their calves. However, new research on a population off Australia’s eastern coast indicates that their trips to more balmy waters are not as essential to calving as biologists thought. Calves in this population can actually be born in colder waters near New Zealand or Tasmania–about 932 miles further souththan previously known. Understanding this pattern could challenge some long-held beliefs about humpback migration and improve protection areas to help these baby whales. The findings are detailed in a study published May 20 in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science. “Hundreds of humpback calves were born well outside the established breeding grounds,” said Tracey Rogers, a study co-author and marine ecologist at the University of New South Wales in Australia. “Giving birth along the ‘humpback highway’ means these vulnerable calves, who are not yet strong swimmers, are required to swim long distances much earlier in life than if they were born in the breeding grounds.”  The ‘Humpback Highway’ In the Northern Hemisphere, humpback whales like those found on the east coast of the United States and Canada, typically migrate from colder feeding in the Northern Atlantic Ocean in the summer and south to the Caribbean for the winter to breed and calf.  For Southern Hemisphere humpbacks like those off the coast of Eastern Australia, the directions are flipped because of the equator. They travel from their frigid feeding grounds in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica, north towards the Pacific Ocean in Australia to breed, calve, and care for their young.  Finding this new baby whale hotspot arose due to study co-author and University of New South Wales Ph.D candidate Jane McPhee-Frew’s extracurricular work as a marine guide.  A baby whale breaches in Western Australia. Footage by Jason Milligan – Instagram: millo_hd CREDIT: Jason Milligan – Instagram: @millo_hd. “In July 2023, during a whale-watching tour, I encountered a mum and calf at the mouth of Newcastle Harbor—the busiest shipping port in Eastern Australia,” said McPhee-Frew. “The calf was tiny, obviously brand new. What were they doing there? But none of my tourism colleagues seemed surprised.”  This new sighting piqued researchers’ interest and they began investigating the calving range for humpback whales located around Australia and New Zealand. They used data from citizen science observations, government surveys, and reported strandings. New Zealand’s Department of Conservation Cook Strait Whale Project supplied data from migration surveys, and Australian state wildlife departments supplied information on strandings dating all the way back to 1991.   The team found 209 records of newborn calves, 41 strandings, and 168 observations of live calves, representing at least 169 individual whales. They also had data on the direction of travel for 118 whales, which showed the whales were continuing to migrate north after delivery.   “Humpback whale populations undertake extensive long-distance migrations from the Southern Ocean to breeding grounds in the tropics,” said study co-author Adelaide Dedden of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Australia. “They rely heavily on body reserves from an enormous amount of Antarctic krill to support the physiological costs of the journey and reproduction.”   The highest-latitude calf was found at Port Arthur, Tasmania–about 932 miles further south than it was believed that humpbacks could calf.  When they compared these observations taken over the last decade with historical texts and whaling logbooks, they say that calves born during migration were observed more often before the population crashed due to hunting. Humpback whale numbers in Australia crashed during the peak of the whaling industry, particularly during the 1960s and 1970s. “I think it’s very likely that this pattern has always existed, but the low number of whales obscured it from view,” said McPhee-Frew. “The Eastern Australia humpback population narrowly escaped extinction, but now there are 30, 40, or 50,000 in this population alone. It doesn’t happen overnight, but the recovery of humpback whales, and the return of their full range of behaviors and distribution, just goes to show that with good policies built on good science we can have excellent outcomes.”  Weighing the risks For all migratory species, these epic journeys cost a great deal of time and energy. The energy expenditures can leave their young vulnerable to predators. While this particular study can’t answer why humpback whales risk migrating if they can give birth further south, it’s possible that other factors are driving migration. The benefits of delivering in tropical waters might outweigh the risks of having a potential calf born along the way.  While the data provided by Western Australia’s Department of Biodiversity, Conservation, and Attractions pinpointed a possible nursery area in Flinders Bay, it’s likely that most calves are born much further north in the tropics. According to the team, there are several conservation implications in these findings. Some of the observed calves were injured, so expanded protected areas, awareness campaigns about protective measures boaters and the general public can take, and more research into the habitats that humpbacks use while migrating are critical to safeguarding the calves.  “This study was based on opportunistic observations,” cautioned McPhee-Frew. “This data is excellent for answering questions like, ‘are there newborn whales here?’ But we can’t stretch the interpretations too far. It might appear that we see more calves the further north we go, or that we have seen more over time. But it could be that there are more people whale-watching in the north, or more cameras and social media sharing in recent years.”  “We can only document what we see,” added study co-author Vanessa Pirotta of Macquarie University in Australia. “Perhaps there are things happening in our ocean that we are yet to find out.” #humpback #whales #can #give #birth
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    Humpback whales can give birth while migrating thousands of miles
    A mother and baby whale swim at Kiama, New South Wales, Australia. CREDIT: Vanessa Risku - Instagram @droning_my_sorrows. Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are master migrators. Some populations of this  baleen whale species travel upwards of 5,000 miles per year from colder waters to feed, towards warmer tropical waters where they give birth and care for their calves. However, new research on a population off Australia’s eastern coast indicates that their trips to more balmy waters are not as essential to calving as biologists thought. Calves in this population can actually be born in colder waters near New Zealand or Tasmania–about 932 miles further south (1,500 kilometers) than previously known. Understanding this pattern could challenge some long-held beliefs about humpback migration and improve protection areas to help these baby whales. The findings are detailed in a study published May 20 in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science. “Hundreds of humpback calves were born well outside the established breeding grounds,” said Tracey Rogers, a study co-author and marine ecologist at the University of New South Wales in Australia. “Giving birth along the ‘humpback highway’ means these vulnerable calves, who are not yet strong swimmers, are required to swim long distances much earlier in life than if they were born in the breeding grounds.”  The ‘Humpback Highway’ In the Northern Hemisphere, humpback whales like those found on the east coast of the United States and Canada, typically migrate from colder feeding in the Northern Atlantic Ocean in the summer and south to the Caribbean for the winter to breed and calf.  For Southern Hemisphere humpbacks like those off the coast of Eastern Australia, the directions are flipped because of the equator. They travel from their frigid feeding grounds in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica, north towards the Pacific Ocean in Australia to breed, calve, and care for their young.  Finding this new baby whale hotspot arose due to study co-author and University of New South Wales Ph.D candidate Jane McPhee-Frew’s extracurricular work as a marine guide.  A baby whale breaches in Western Australia. Footage by Jason Milligan – Instagram: millo_hd CREDIT: Jason Milligan – Instagram: @millo_hd. “In July 2023, during a whale-watching tour, I encountered a mum and calf at the mouth of Newcastle Harbor—the busiest shipping port in Eastern Australia,” said McPhee-Frew. “The calf was tiny, obviously brand new. What were they doing there? But none of my tourism colleagues seemed surprised.”  This new sighting piqued researchers’ interest and they began investigating the calving range for humpback whales located around Australia and New Zealand. They used data from citizen science observations, government surveys, and reported strandings. New Zealand’s Department of Conservation Cook Strait Whale Project supplied data from migration surveys, and Australian state wildlife departments supplied information on strandings dating all the way back to 1991.   The team found 209 records of newborn calves (including 11 births), 41 strandings, and 168 observations of live calves, representing at least 169 individual whales. They also had data on the direction of travel for 118 whales, which showed the whales were continuing to migrate north after delivery.   “Humpback whale populations undertake extensive long-distance migrations from the Southern Ocean to breeding grounds in the tropics,” said study co-author Adelaide Dedden of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Australia. “They rely heavily on body reserves from an enormous amount of Antarctic krill to support the physiological costs of the journey and reproduction.”   The highest-latitude calf was found at Port Arthur, Tasmania–about 932 miles further south than it was believed that humpbacks could calf.  When they compared these observations taken over the last decade with historical texts and whaling logbooks, they say that calves born during migration were observed more often before the population crashed due to hunting. Humpback whale numbers in Australia crashed during the peak of the whaling industry, particularly during the 1960s and 1970s. “I think it’s very likely that this pattern has always existed, but the low number of whales obscured it from view,” said McPhee-Frew. “The Eastern Australia humpback population narrowly escaped extinction, but now there are 30, 40, or 50,000 in this population alone. It doesn’t happen overnight, but the recovery of humpback whales, and the return of their full range of behaviors and distribution, just goes to show that with good policies built on good science we can have excellent outcomes.”  Weighing the risks For all migratory species, these epic journeys cost a great deal of time and energy. The energy expenditures can leave their young vulnerable to predators. While this particular study can’t answer why humpback whales risk migrating if they can give birth further south, it’s possible that other factors are driving migration. The benefits of delivering in tropical waters might outweigh the risks of having a potential calf born along the way.  While the data provided by Western Australia’s Department of Biodiversity, Conservation, and Attractions pinpointed a possible nursery area in Flinders Bay, it’s likely that most calves are born much further north in the tropics.  [ Related: Humpback whales use bubble-nets as ‘tools.’ ] According to the team, there are several conservation implications in these findings. Some of the observed calves were injured, so expanded protected areas, awareness campaigns about protective measures boaters and the general public can take, and more research into the habitats that humpbacks use while migrating are critical to safeguarding the calves.  “This study was based on opportunistic observations,” cautioned McPhee-Frew. “This data is excellent for answering questions like, ‘are there newborn whales here?’ But we can’t stretch the interpretations too far. It might appear that we see more calves the further north we go, or that we have seen more over time. But it could be that there are more people whale-watching in the north, or more cameras and social media sharing in recent years.”  “We can only document what we see,” added study co-author Vanessa Pirotta of Macquarie University in Australia. “Perhaps there are things happening in our ocean that we are yet to find out.”
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  • Newly Discovered Fossil Tracks May Rewrite Early History of Reptiles

    May 15, 20253 min readNewly Discovered Fossil Tracks May Rewrite Early History of ReptilesFossilized claw tracks discovered in Australia show that the animal group that includes reptiles, mammals and birds formed earlier than expectedBy Rita Aksenfeld & Nature magazine Illustration of an amniote animal thought to have left fossilized claw prints in Victoria, Australia. Marcin AmbrozikFossil claw prints found in Australia were probably made by the earliest known members of the group that includes reptiles, birds and mammals, according to a study published in Nature today. The findings suggest that this group — the amniotes — originated at least 35 million years earlier than previously thought.Early amniotes evolved to lay eggs on land, because they were encased in an amniotic membrane that stopped them drying out. Before this study, the earliest known amniote fossils had been found in Nova Scotia, Canada, and were dated to the mid-Carboniferous period, about 319 million years ago. The latest findings suggest that amniotes also existed in the early Carboniferous period, around 355 million years ago.“This discovery is exciting, and if the tracks have been interpreted the right way, the findings have important implications for our understanding of tetrapod evolution,” says Steven Salisbury, a palaeontologist at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.The tracksThe claw tracks were found in a sandstone block on the bank of the Broken River at Barjarg in the state of Victoria, by two co-authors of the paper who are not professional scientists. This area of the river is known as Berrepit to the Indigenous Taungurung people who own the land.The sandstone block is part of a larger structure that had already been dated to the early Carboniferous on the basis of radiometric and tectonic evidence. Fossilized tracks of aquatic invertebrates and fish found in the same layer were also dated to this time period.The Snowy Plains Formation trackway slab with footprints and trackways highlighted. Manusprints are shown in yellow; pesprints are shown in blue.Grzegorz NiedzwiedzkiThe three sets of tracks in the study have clear footprints with indentations from claws, a feature of reptiles but not of amphibians. “Having these hooked claws on the trackways indicates they’re definitely a reptile-like animal,” says John Long, a palaeontologist at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia.There are no marks of dragging bellies or tails, and the authors suggest that the amniotes that left the tracks were able to keep their bodies and tails off the ground while they walked on land. But Salisbury questions that interpretation, because it would mean the animals had developed sophisticated structures for complex locomotion, which would be surprising given how early they are. “It seems more likely that the tracks were made by an animal that was ‘punting’ in shallow water, rather than walking on land,” he says.Common ancestorUntil now, evidence suggested that the last common ancestor of modern amphibians and amniotes lived around 352 million years ago. But if the ancestors of reptiles existed during the early Carboniferous, their split from amphibians must have occurred even earlier, says Long. Dating by the team suggests that the groups diverged in the Devonian period, about 380 million years ago.To estimate the probable time of divergence, Long and his colleagues used several dating methods. One included geological evidence from radioactive decay in volcanic rock layers above and below the fossil tracks. They also used molecular phylogenetics, which compares similarities and differences in the DNA of living species to estimate their evolutionary relationships and how recently their last common ancestor lived.The discovery could also shift the origin of amniotes to the Gondwana landmass. This formed the southern portion of the Pangaea supercontinent and gave rise to multiple current landmasses, including Africa and Australia. Previously, the earliest known amniotes were found in North America, leading palaeontologists to think that the group originated in the Northern Hemisphere. But more evidence from Australian fossils is needed before definitively shifting their origin site, says Long. “Australia is a vast area with fewer palaeontologists on the ground,” Long says. “We’ve got a lot more unexplored fossil sites where new things like this keep turning up.”This article is reproduced with permission and was first published on May 14, 2025.
    #newly #discovered #fossil #tracks #rewrite
    Newly Discovered Fossil Tracks May Rewrite Early History of Reptiles
    May 15, 20253 min readNewly Discovered Fossil Tracks May Rewrite Early History of ReptilesFossilized claw tracks discovered in Australia show that the animal group that includes reptiles, mammals and birds formed earlier than expectedBy Rita Aksenfeld & Nature magazine Illustration of an amniote animal thought to have left fossilized claw prints in Victoria, Australia. Marcin AmbrozikFossil claw prints found in Australia were probably made by the earliest known members of the group that includes reptiles, birds and mammals, according to a study published in Nature today. The findings suggest that this group — the amniotes — originated at least 35 million years earlier than previously thought.Early amniotes evolved to lay eggs on land, because they were encased in an amniotic membrane that stopped them drying out. Before this study, the earliest known amniote fossils had been found in Nova Scotia, Canada, and were dated to the mid-Carboniferous period, about 319 million years ago. The latest findings suggest that amniotes also existed in the early Carboniferous period, around 355 million years ago.“This discovery is exciting, and if the tracks have been interpreted the right way, the findings have important implications for our understanding of tetrapod evolution,” says Steven Salisbury, a palaeontologist at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.The tracksThe claw tracks were found in a sandstone block on the bank of the Broken River at Barjarg in the state of Victoria, by two co-authors of the paper who are not professional scientists. This area of the river is known as Berrepit to the Indigenous Taungurung people who own the land.The sandstone block is part of a larger structure that had already been dated to the early Carboniferous on the basis of radiometric and tectonic evidence. Fossilized tracks of aquatic invertebrates and fish found in the same layer were also dated to this time period.The Snowy Plains Formation trackway slab with footprints and trackways highlighted. Manusprints are shown in yellow; pesprints are shown in blue.Grzegorz NiedzwiedzkiThe three sets of tracks in the study have clear footprints with indentations from claws, a feature of reptiles but not of amphibians. “Having these hooked claws on the trackways indicates they’re definitely a reptile-like animal,” says John Long, a palaeontologist at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia.There are no marks of dragging bellies or tails, and the authors suggest that the amniotes that left the tracks were able to keep their bodies and tails off the ground while they walked on land. But Salisbury questions that interpretation, because it would mean the animals had developed sophisticated structures for complex locomotion, which would be surprising given how early they are. “It seems more likely that the tracks were made by an animal that was ‘punting’ in shallow water, rather than walking on land,” he says.Common ancestorUntil now, evidence suggested that the last common ancestor of modern amphibians and amniotes lived around 352 million years ago. But if the ancestors of reptiles existed during the early Carboniferous, their split from amphibians must have occurred even earlier, says Long. Dating by the team suggests that the groups diverged in the Devonian period, about 380 million years ago.To estimate the probable time of divergence, Long and his colleagues used several dating methods. One included geological evidence from radioactive decay in volcanic rock layers above and below the fossil tracks. They also used molecular phylogenetics, which compares similarities and differences in the DNA of living species to estimate their evolutionary relationships and how recently their last common ancestor lived.The discovery could also shift the origin of amniotes to the Gondwana landmass. This formed the southern portion of the Pangaea supercontinent and gave rise to multiple current landmasses, including Africa and Australia. Previously, the earliest known amniotes were found in North America, leading palaeontologists to think that the group originated in the Northern Hemisphere. But more evidence from Australian fossils is needed before definitively shifting their origin site, says Long. “Australia is a vast area with fewer palaeontologists on the ground,” Long says. “We’ve got a lot more unexplored fossil sites where new things like this keep turning up.”This article is reproduced with permission and was first published on May 14, 2025. #newly #discovered #fossil #tracks #rewrite
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    Newly Discovered Fossil Tracks May Rewrite Early History of Reptiles
    May 15, 20253 min readNewly Discovered Fossil Tracks May Rewrite Early History of ReptilesFossilized claw tracks discovered in Australia show that the animal group that includes reptiles, mammals and birds formed earlier than expectedBy Rita Aksenfeld & Nature magazine Illustration of an amniote animal thought to have left fossilized claw prints in Victoria, Australia. Marcin AmbrozikFossil claw prints found in Australia were probably made by the earliest known members of the group that includes reptiles, birds and mammals, according to a study published in Nature today. The findings suggest that this group — the amniotes — originated at least 35 million years earlier than previously thought.Early amniotes evolved to lay eggs on land, because they were encased in an amniotic membrane that stopped them drying out. Before this study, the earliest known amniote fossils had been found in Nova Scotia, Canada, and were dated to the mid-Carboniferous period, about 319 million years ago. The latest findings suggest that amniotes also existed in the early Carboniferous period, around 355 million years ago.“This discovery is exciting, and if the tracks have been interpreted the right way, the findings have important implications for our understanding of tetrapod evolution,” says Steven Salisbury, a palaeontologist at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.The tracksThe claw tracks were found in a sandstone block on the bank of the Broken River at Barjarg in the state of Victoria, by two co-authors of the paper who are not professional scientists. This area of the river is known as Berrepit to the Indigenous Taungurung people who own the land.The sandstone block is part of a larger structure that had already been dated to the early Carboniferous on the basis of radiometric and tectonic evidence. Fossilized tracks of aquatic invertebrates and fish found in the same layer were also dated to this time period.The Snowy Plains Formation trackway slab with footprints and trackways highlighted. Manus (front foot) prints are shown in yellow; pes (hind foot) prints are shown in blue.Grzegorz NiedzwiedzkiThe three sets of tracks in the study have clear footprints with indentations from claws, a feature of reptiles but not of amphibians. “Having these hooked claws on the trackways indicates they’re definitely a reptile-like animal,” says John Long, a palaeontologist at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia.There are no marks of dragging bellies or tails, and the authors suggest that the amniotes that left the tracks were able to keep their bodies and tails off the ground while they walked on land. But Salisbury questions that interpretation, because it would mean the animals had developed sophisticated structures for complex locomotion, which would be surprising given how early they are. “It seems more likely that the tracks were made by an animal that was ‘punting’ in shallow water, rather than walking on land,” he says.Common ancestorUntil now, evidence suggested that the last common ancestor of modern amphibians and amniotes lived around 352 million years ago. But if the ancestors of reptiles existed during the early Carboniferous, their split from amphibians must have occurred even earlier, says Long. Dating by the team suggests that the groups diverged in the Devonian period, about 380 million years ago.To estimate the probable time of divergence, Long and his colleagues used several dating methods. One included geological evidence from radioactive decay in volcanic rock layers above and below the fossil tracks. They also used molecular phylogenetics, which compares similarities and differences in the DNA of living species to estimate their evolutionary relationships and how recently their last common ancestor lived.The discovery could also shift the origin of amniotes to the Gondwana landmass. This formed the southern portion of the Pangaea supercontinent and gave rise to multiple current landmasses, including Africa and Australia. Previously, the earliest known amniotes were found in North America, leading palaeontologists to think that the group originated in the Northern Hemisphere. But more evidence from Australian fossils is needed before definitively shifting their origin site, says Long. “Australia is a vast area with fewer palaeontologists on the ground,” Long says. “We’ve got a lot more unexplored fossil sites where new things like this keep turning up.”This article is reproduced with permission and was first published on May 14, 2025.
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  • 93FT designs “playful” new Treehouse Hotel in Manchester

    93FT has created the playful interiors of Starwood Hotels’ second UK branch of its Treehouse brand.
    With chalk boards, patchwork quilts and tree stump furniture, the hotel leans into childhood nostalgia and creative freedom.
    Aimed at 25 to 45-year-olds, this Treehouse Hotel is housed in a 1970s concrete building in Manchester’s city centre.
    It started life as an office block, but more recently operated as a Renaissance Hotel.
    The building started life as an office block
    This iteration was designed by Sheffield-based 93FT in collaboration with Starwood Hotels’ international design team.
    “Throughout the project we have followed our brand ethos of ‘carefreedom’ whereby we want to transport guests back to a time when they were children, more carefree and able to explore their world creatively,” says Neil Andrew, Starwood’s vice president, design – EMEA.
    93FT co-founder Nick Clark echoes this sentiment. “Treehouses are about escaping. They’re about a sense of nostalgia, and feeling young again.”
    This extends to every design detail – Barry Sternlicht, the hotel group’s founder wanted these hotels to feel like “a kid had made them,” says Amber Addison, 93FT senior interior designer.
    The team worked to strike a careful balance and meet health & safety standards
    The challenge was to make this playful environment also be commercial, comfortable and meet health and safety standards, she explains.
    And aesthetically, the team had to strike a balance between the designs looking not too ramshackle, but not too polished either.
    The agency brought in a mishmash of vintage items from different sources including salvage company Retrouvious, plus reclaimed building materials and a variety of fabrics, to capture that spontaneity of children’s creativity.
    Glass Onion created bespoke cushion covers for all 224 bedrooms, using denim off-cuts
    For example, vintage clothing business, Glass Onion, which has a store in Sheffield, made cushion covers from denim off-cuts for each of the 224 bedrooms.
    “A treehouse can be made of things that your mum doesn’t want in the lounge anymore,” Addison says.
    Hence in the restaurant, Pip, there are eclectic lampshades, and one wall is filled with shelves of rainbow glass bottles of different shapes and sizes, which are intended to conjure up the intuitive collecting habits of children.
    Meanwhile, the bedrooms are furnished with individually made patchwork quilts, asymmetrical door handles, handmade furniture and larch cladding.
    Chalkboards lean into childhood nostalgia and creative freedom
    In the entrance, a mix of reclaimed and handmade windows make up the lobby walls. And some of the chairs are made from tree stumps, with old tool handles embedded in them to form a back rest.
    This sourcing came easily to 93FT, which brought in 1,400 items for its redesign of London’s Pilgrim Hotel.
    Other playful elements include chalkboards, which guests are inviting to doodle on, or they can carve their name on small pieces of wood, which are then hung in the lift lobby as an alternative guestbook.
    The agency initially came up with some strong ideas to bring the treehouse concept to life. “We loved the idea of a treehouse in a Treehouse,” Clark says. “We were going to cut some big shapes into the floorplates, and add a big tree with a treehouse at the top.”
    Another idea was to have a big swing in the entrance, but neither of these ideas turned out to be feasible.
    Existing columns are clad in timber, to give them a tree-like appearance
    They were able to install a big artificial tree clad in real bark, which reaches up through the ceiling of the dark, lower-ground reception. Also on this level, the timber walkway is bathed in dappled light in reference to a forest floor. The effect was created by cutting out organic shapes in the ceiling and carefully placing lighting there.
    A second tree made of reclaimed timber stands on the mezzanine with a bench at its base.
    For phase two of the build, 93FT is designing a presidential suite, and Blacksheep in London is designing a rooftop bar.
    In the UK, Manchester Treehouse follows on from Treehouse London in Marylebone designed by Birmingham agency Keane. It is also a transformation of an existing hotel, and that outpost has city-specific elements including Paddington Bear references and London-centric souvenirs.
    Further Treehouse locations in the works include Brickell in Miami by Rockwell Group; Riyadh in Saudi Arabia by Blacksheep; and Adelaide in Australia by Woods Bagot.
    The glass bottles are intended to conjure up the intuitive collecting habits of children
    The bar area features an eclectic mix of light fittings, adding character and visual interest to the space
    #93ft #designs #playful #new #treehouse
    93FT designs “playful” new Treehouse Hotel in Manchester
    93FT has created the playful interiors of Starwood Hotels’ second UK branch of its Treehouse brand. With chalk boards, patchwork quilts and tree stump furniture, the hotel leans into childhood nostalgia and creative freedom. Aimed at 25 to 45-year-olds, this Treehouse Hotel is housed in a 1970s concrete building in Manchester’s city centre. It started life as an office block, but more recently operated as a Renaissance Hotel. The building started life as an office block This iteration was designed by Sheffield-based 93FT in collaboration with Starwood Hotels’ international design team. “Throughout the project we have followed our brand ethos of ‘carefreedom’ whereby we want to transport guests back to a time when they were children, more carefree and able to explore their world creatively,” says Neil Andrew, Starwood’s vice president, design – EMEA. 93FT co-founder Nick Clark echoes this sentiment. “Treehouses are about escaping. They’re about a sense of nostalgia, and feeling young again.” This extends to every design detail – Barry Sternlicht, the hotel group’s founder wanted these hotels to feel like “a kid had made them,” says Amber Addison, 93FT senior interior designer. The team worked to strike a careful balance and meet health & safety standards The challenge was to make this playful environment also be commercial, comfortable and meet health and safety standards, she explains. And aesthetically, the team had to strike a balance between the designs looking not too ramshackle, but not too polished either. The agency brought in a mishmash of vintage items from different sources including salvage company Retrouvious, plus reclaimed building materials and a variety of fabrics, to capture that spontaneity of children’s creativity. Glass Onion created bespoke cushion covers for all 224 bedrooms, using denim off-cuts For example, vintage clothing business, Glass Onion, which has a store in Sheffield, made cushion covers from denim off-cuts for each of the 224 bedrooms. “A treehouse can be made of things that your mum doesn’t want in the lounge anymore,” Addison says. Hence in the restaurant, Pip, there are eclectic lampshades, and one wall is filled with shelves of rainbow glass bottles of different shapes and sizes, which are intended to conjure up the intuitive collecting habits of children. Meanwhile, the bedrooms are furnished with individually made patchwork quilts, asymmetrical door handles, handmade furniture and larch cladding. Chalkboards lean into childhood nostalgia and creative freedom In the entrance, a mix of reclaimed and handmade windows make up the lobby walls. And some of the chairs are made from tree stumps, with old tool handles embedded in them to form a back rest. This sourcing came easily to 93FT, which brought in 1,400 items for its redesign of London’s Pilgrim Hotel. Other playful elements include chalkboards, which guests are inviting to doodle on, or they can carve their name on small pieces of wood, which are then hung in the lift lobby as an alternative guestbook. The agency initially came up with some strong ideas to bring the treehouse concept to life. “We loved the idea of a treehouse in a Treehouse,” Clark says. “We were going to cut some big shapes into the floorplates, and add a big tree with a treehouse at the top.” Another idea was to have a big swing in the entrance, but neither of these ideas turned out to be feasible. Existing columns are clad in timber, to give them a tree-like appearance They were able to install a big artificial tree clad in real bark, which reaches up through the ceiling of the dark, lower-ground reception. Also on this level, the timber walkway is bathed in dappled light in reference to a forest floor. The effect was created by cutting out organic shapes in the ceiling and carefully placing lighting there. A second tree made of reclaimed timber stands on the mezzanine with a bench at its base. For phase two of the build, 93FT is designing a presidential suite, and Blacksheep in London is designing a rooftop bar. In the UK, Manchester Treehouse follows on from Treehouse London in Marylebone designed by Birmingham agency Keane. It is also a transformation of an existing hotel, and that outpost has city-specific elements including Paddington Bear references and London-centric souvenirs. Further Treehouse locations in the works include Brickell in Miami by Rockwell Group; Riyadh in Saudi Arabia by Blacksheep; and Adelaide in Australia by Woods Bagot. The glass bottles are intended to conjure up the intuitive collecting habits of children The bar area features an eclectic mix of light fittings, adding character and visual interest to the space #93ft #designs #playful #new #treehouse
    WWW.DESIGNWEEK.CO.UK
    93FT designs “playful” new Treehouse Hotel in Manchester
    93FT has created the playful interiors of Starwood Hotels’ second UK branch of its Treehouse brand. With chalk boards, patchwork quilts and tree stump furniture, the hotel leans into childhood nostalgia and creative freedom. Aimed at 25 to 45-year-olds, this Treehouse Hotel is housed in a 1970s concrete building in Manchester’s city centre. It started life as an office block, but more recently operated as a Renaissance Hotel. The building started life as an office block This iteration was designed by Sheffield-based 93FT in collaboration with Starwood Hotels’ international design team. “Throughout the project we have followed our brand ethos of ‘carefreedom’ whereby we want to transport guests back to a time when they were children, more carefree and able to explore their world creatively,” says Neil Andrew, Starwood’s vice president, design – EMEA. 93FT co-founder Nick Clark echoes this sentiment. “Treehouses are about escaping. They’re about a sense of nostalgia, and feeling young again.” This extends to every design detail – Barry Sternlicht, the hotel group’s founder wanted these hotels to feel like “a kid had made them,” says Amber Addison, 93FT senior interior designer. The team worked to strike a careful balance and meet health & safety standards The challenge was to make this playful environment also be commercial, comfortable and meet health and safety standards, she explains. And aesthetically, the team had to strike a balance between the designs looking not too ramshackle, but not too polished either. The agency brought in a mishmash of vintage items from different sources including salvage company Retrouvious, plus reclaimed building materials and a variety of fabrics, to capture that spontaneity of children’s creativity. Glass Onion created bespoke cushion covers for all 224 bedrooms, using denim off-cuts For example, vintage clothing business, Glass Onion, which has a store in Sheffield, made cushion covers from denim off-cuts for each of the 224 bedrooms. “A treehouse can be made of things that your mum doesn’t want in the lounge anymore,” Addison says. Hence in the restaurant, Pip, there are eclectic lampshades, and one wall is filled with shelves of rainbow glass bottles of different shapes and sizes, which are intended to conjure up the intuitive collecting habits of children. Meanwhile, the bedrooms are furnished with individually made patchwork quilts, asymmetrical door handles, handmade furniture and larch cladding. Chalkboards lean into childhood nostalgia and creative freedom In the entrance, a mix of reclaimed and handmade windows make up the lobby walls. And some of the chairs are made from tree stumps, with old tool handles embedded in them to form a back rest. This sourcing came easily to 93FT, which brought in 1,400 items for its redesign of London’s Pilgrim Hotel. Other playful elements include chalkboards, which guests are inviting to doodle on, or they can carve their name on small pieces of wood, which are then hung in the lift lobby as an alternative guestbook. The agency initially came up with some strong ideas to bring the treehouse concept to life. “We loved the idea of a treehouse in a Treehouse,” Clark says. “We were going to cut some big shapes into the floorplates, and add a big tree with a treehouse at the top.” Another idea was to have a big swing in the entrance, but neither of these ideas turned out to be feasible. Existing columns are clad in timber, to give them a tree-like appearance They were able to install a big artificial tree clad in real bark, which reaches up through the ceiling of the dark, lower-ground reception. Also on this level, the timber walkway is bathed in dappled light in reference to a forest floor. The effect was created by cutting out organic shapes in the ceiling and carefully placing lighting there. A second tree made of reclaimed timber stands on the mezzanine with a bench at its base. For phase two of the build, 93FT is designing a presidential suite, and Blacksheep in London is designing a rooftop bar. In the UK, Manchester Treehouse follows on from Treehouse London in Marylebone designed by Birmingham agency Keane. It is also a transformation of an existing hotel, and that outpost has city-specific elements including Paddington Bear references and London-centric souvenirs. Further Treehouse locations in the works include Brickell in Miami by Rockwell Group; Riyadh in Saudi Arabia by Blacksheep; and Adelaide in Australia by Woods Bagot. The glass bottles are intended to conjure up the intuitive collecting habits of children The bar area features an eclectic mix of light fittings, adding character and visual interest to the space
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  • #333;">Our 15 Favorite Cottage Gardens
    A few summers ago, when the culture was moving through micro trends as fast as they could be Instagrammed, Cottage Core was born.
    The trend, which came out of a Covid-influenced romanticism for living close to nature (but not ruffing it, à la gorpcore, fashion’s cousin trend), inspired an infusion of chintz and whicker-filled interiors, and, of course, lush English-style gardens.Flash forward to 2025.
    All those cottage gardens planted in early 2020—rustic, sophisticated, chic—are at their peak.
    And there really is something to an outdoor space that merges with the indoors, is there not? On a warm summer evening, when the bougainvillea is in bloom, and the grass is a bit damp, what could be more appealing than a home built to nestle into a fantastical garden.Here, we’ve collected some of our favorite cottage gardens.
    They range from fairy house gardens to campground landscape, historical (Anne Hathaway’s famed cottage that has inspired Shakespeare devotees the world over) to contemporary compound gardens in the woods.While we may have a specific notion of a cottage garden, but they are—and should be—as unique as the people who tend them.
    One lesson for planting your own? A small space is an asset rather than a limitation.Below, you’ll find 15 of our favorite cottage gardens from Marin County California to Stratford-Upon-Avon, England.William Jess LairdThis Amagansett cottage was literally designed for “summertime snoozes.” It’s also a good reminder that a delicate slate garden pathway can take you far.
    Designer Melissa Lee noted how “unexpected” the whole place felt, surrounded by the many mansions of the Hamptons.
    As she rightfully notes, the charm is in the surprise.
    A suggestion of mystery always adds to a cottage! Think The Secret Garden or the unexpectedly expansive Weasley Family home.Noe DewittVines climb up this 1920s English Art and Crafts style cottage in the Hamptons.
    The elegant and eclectic cottage was re-designed by Nick Olsen to emphasize outdoor living with comfy couches, a tiled patio and a pool.William James LairdThis pink cottage kitchen looks out over a garden in Litchfield County, Connecticut.
    Designer Clive Lonstein’s work is vibrant and unexpected, particularly for a modest Connecticut cottage built in the late 1800s.
    In a way though, the bright colors all throughout the house are a reflection of the original design for the house.
    The architect, Ehrick Rossiter was known for his own whimsy, and even included a turret in this design.
    This cottage is a great reminder to leave the door open all summer long.Stephen Kent JohnsonThis former fishing shack in Provincetown proves that a sprawling garden can fit into a small space.
    From Windex yellow fox gloves to arching lavender, this is a bucolic slice of heaven.
    A classic shingled home, complete with flower boxes and a white picket fence, it has a deeply cottage-core sequence backstory.
    It was used as an artist studio for William Maynard until his death in 2016, and when it was sold, prospective buyers were asked to write why they wanted to live there.Rachael SmithWe love an indoor / outdoor cottage garden.
    Ideally, you have a branch that grows through a window, like this one in Suzie de Rohan Willner’s English Country Garden.
    It is a charming marriage of dynamics: English and French, contemporary and historical, and, of course just as eclectic as a cottage should be.
    Willner notes, “The whole house is a collection of things from each period of my and my husband’s lives.
    I love to pick up bibs and bobs and it all comes together very happily.”Chronicle / Alamy Stock PhotoKate Middleton’s Adelaide Cottage conjures images of an Arthurian fantasy.
    The Wales family made this their Windsor home since 2023.
    Built in 1831 for Queen Adelaide (the German-born wife of William IV, who was the Uncle of Queen Victoria).
    It went through a transformative renovation in 2015 which left the historical decorations in tact.
    Fun fact: the Wales family pay market rent for their use of the home.Photo 12//Getty ImagesThe poet, actor, and playwright Anne Hathaway’s famed cottage and accompanying garden must have inspired her husband’s plays (that would be Shakespeare).
    This might be what comes to mind when you think of a cottage garden.
    Now open to the public daily, it was originally built more than 500 years ago, and is the site of Hathaway’s own birth in 1556.CostcoThis Costco (yes, Costco!) shed turned cottage is an ideal backdrop for your cottage garden fantasy.
    If you’re feeling very DIY this year, start here.
    Priced at $6,499, it measures 12’ x 24’ feet, a perfect amount of space for your own summer hide away or gardening shed.Richard PowersThis glass house is a reminder that a cottage garden doesn’t have to follow a prescribed style.
    The Amagansett cottage, originally built in 1960, is a marvel of mid-century design, an aesthetic reflected in the mod-furniture choices.
    Again, we love a stylistic mix in an updated cottage.
    Japanese Maple Trees complete the woodsy vibe.© David Hockney, Photo By Jonathan WilkinsonDavid Hockney illustrated his own cottage garden during the Pandemic.
    His drawing is illustrative of the benefits of an English garden: a bit wild, extremely lush, and more green than anything else.
    If we could, we’d jump right into this scene like Mary Poppins on a rainy day.John M.
    Hall for ELLE DecorHere’s a rule of thumb: trust Ina Garten.
    This cottage-like structure, on the grounds of the East Hampton home Garten shares with her husband Jeffrey, is perennially perfect.
    Note, too, the green and purple color scheme here.
    This is perhaps the dream cottage garden and something of a childhood playhouse.
    It has just enough space for a cozy chat and is a reminder that you can build your own little cottage on a very small plot of land.Photo 12//Getty ImagesMarie Antoinette’s Hamlet on the grounds of Versailles still sets the standard for the cottage garden with a thatched roof, hedges, and roses straight out of a fairy tale.
    During the former French Queen’s reign, her hamlet was used as a faux farm house, where she and her young daughter, Princess Marie Thérèse, would dress as idealized versions of French peasant farmers and milk cows.
    The interior, though, of this modest cottage, is appropriately grand with silk furnishings and canopy beds.Douglas FriedmanA garden that proves succulents and cottages are a match made in heaven.
    This one, in Marin County, California, adds a bit of desert flair.
    On the other side of this cottage is a water way and a perfect little dock for launching paddle boards.
    We love how the greens liven up this side of the house and create a completely different, almost modern desert-like, aesthetic.
    As with any great cottage garden, there is a distinctly transportive factor.Michael CliffordA light wood sauna and cold plunge on the grounds of Jenni Kayne’s Hudson Valley farmhouse are hidden behind shrubbery for a sense of privacy against a wide open landscape.
    We love the idea of adding a spa-like ambiance to a cottage garden as well as finding inventive ways to use the space.
    This is exactly where we want to be in the summer!Getty ImagesThis is sort of cheating, but Bunny Williams is a necessary inclusion! Williams’s Oak Spring Garden in Upperville, Virginia continues to inspire garden and cottage enthusiasts the world over.
    Rather than one cottage, the grounds of Williams’s large estate feature a guest cottage and a basket house, both of which are charming in the extreme.Dorothy ScarboroughDorothy Scarborough (she/her) is the assistant to the Editor in Chief of Town & Country and Elle Decor. 
    #666;">المصدر: https://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/trends/a64718113/cottage-gardens/" style="color: #0066cc; text-decoration: none;">www.elledecor.com
    #0066cc;">#our #favorite #cottage #gardens #few #summers #ago #when #the #culture #was #moving #through #micro #trends #fast #they #could #instagrammed #core #bornthe #trend #which #came #out #covidinfluenced #romanticism #for #living #close #nature #but #not #ruffing #gorpcore #fashions #cousin #inspired #infusion #chintz #and #whickerfilled #interiors #course #lush #englishstyle #gardensflash #forward #2025all #those #planted #early #2020rustic #sophisticated #chicare #their #peakand #there #really #something #outdoor #space #that #merges #with #indoors #warm #summer #evening #bougainvillea #bloom #grass #bit #damp #what #more #appealing #than #home #built #nestle #into #fantastical #gardenhere #weve #collected #some #gardensthey #range #from #fairy #house #campground #landscape #historical #anne #hathaways #famed #has #shakespeare #devotees #world #over #contemporary #compound #woodswhile #may #have #specific #notion #garden #areand #should #beas #unique #people #who #tend #themone #lesson #planting #your #own #small #asset #rather #limitationbelow #youll #find #marin #county #california #stratforduponavon #englandwilliam #jess #lairdthis #amagansett #literally #designed #summertime #snoozes #its #also #good #reminder #delicate #slate #pathway #can #take #you #fardesigner #melissa #lee #noted #how #unexpected #whole #place #felt #surrounded #many #mansions #hamptonsas #she #rightfully #notes #charm #surprisea #suggestion #mystery #always #adds #think #secret #unexpectedly #expansive #weasley #family #homenoe #dewittvines #climb #this #1920s #english #art #crafts #style #hamptonsthe #elegant #eclectic #redesigned #nick #olsen #emphasize #comfy #couches #tiled #patio #poolwilliam #james #pink #kitchen #looks #litchfield #connecticutdesigner #clive #lonsteins #work #vibrant #particularly #modest #connecticut #late #1800sin #way #though #bright #colors #all #throughout #are #reflection #original #design #housethe #architect #ehrick #rossiter #known #his 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#tactfun #fact #pay #market #rent #use #homephoto #12getty #imagesthe #poet #actor #playwright #accompanying #must #her #plays #would #shakespearethis #might #mind #gardennow #public #daily #originally #years #site #birth #1556costcothis #costco #yes #shed #turned #ideal #backdrop #fantasyif #youre #feeling #diy #year #start #herepriced #measures #feet #perfect #amount #hide #away #gardening #shedrichard #powersthis #glass #doesnt #follow #prescribed #stylethe #marvel #midcentury #aesthetic #reflected #modfurniture #choicesagain #stylistic #mix #updated #cottagejapanese #maple #trees #woodsy #vibe #david #hockney #photo #jonathan #wilkinsondavid #illustrated #during #pandemichis #drawing #illustrative #benefits #wild #extremely #green #anything #elseif #wed #jump #right #scene #mary #poppins #rainy #dayjohn #mhall #elle #decorheres #rule #thumb #trust #ina #gartenthis #cottagelike #structure #grounds #east #hampton #garten #shares #husband #jeffrey #perennially #perfectnote #too #purple #color #scheme #herethis #perhaps #dream #childhood #playhouseit #enough #cozy #chat #build #little #plot #landphoto #imagesmarie #antoinettes #hamlet #versailles #still #sets #standard #thatched #roof #hedges #roses #straight #taleduring #queens #reign #faux #farm #where #young #daughter #princess #marie #thérèse #dress #idealized #versions #peasant #farmers #milk #cowsthe #interior #appropriately #grand #silk #furnishings #canopy #bedsdouglas #friedmana #succulents #cottages #match #heaventhis #desert #flairon #other #side #water #dock #launching #paddle #boardswe #greens #liven #create #completely #different #almost #modern #desertlike #aestheticas #any #distinctly #transportive #factormichael #clifforda #light #wood #sauna #cold #plunge #jenni #kaynes #hudson #valley #farmhouse #hidden #behind #shrubbery #sense #privacy #against #wide #landscapewe #idea #adding #spalike #ambiance #well #finding #inventive #ways #spacethis #exactly #want #summergetty #imagesthis #sort #cheating #bunny #williams #necessary #inclusion #williamss #oak #spring #upperville #virginia #continues #inspire #enthusiasts #overrather #large #estate #feature #guest #basket #both #extremedorothy #scarboroughdorothy #scarborough #sheher #assistant #editor #chief #town #ampamp #decor
    Our 15 Favorite Cottage Gardens
    A few summers ago, when the culture was moving through micro trends as fast as they could be Instagrammed, Cottage Core was born. The trend, which came out of a Covid-influenced romanticism for living close to nature (but not ruffing it, à la gorpcore, fashion’s cousin trend), inspired an infusion of chintz and whicker-filled interiors, and, of course, lush English-style gardens.Flash forward to 2025. All those cottage gardens planted in early 2020—rustic, sophisticated, chic—are at their peak. And there really is something to an outdoor space that merges with the indoors, is there not? On a warm summer evening, when the bougainvillea is in bloom, and the grass is a bit damp, what could be more appealing than a home built to nestle into a fantastical garden.Here, we’ve collected some of our favorite cottage gardens. They range from fairy house gardens to campground landscape, historical (Anne Hathaway’s famed cottage that has inspired Shakespeare devotees the world over) to contemporary compound gardens in the woods.While we may have a specific notion of a cottage garden, but they are—and should be—as unique as the people who tend them. One lesson for planting your own? A small space is an asset rather than a limitation.Below, you’ll find 15 of our favorite cottage gardens from Marin County California to Stratford-Upon-Avon, England.William Jess LairdThis Amagansett cottage was literally designed for “summertime snoozes.” It’s also a good reminder that a delicate slate garden pathway can take you far. Designer Melissa Lee noted how “unexpected” the whole place felt, surrounded by the many mansions of the Hamptons. As she rightfully notes, the charm is in the surprise. A suggestion of mystery always adds to a cottage! Think The Secret Garden or the unexpectedly expansive Weasley Family home.Noe DewittVines climb up this 1920s English Art and Crafts style cottage in the Hamptons. The elegant and eclectic cottage was re-designed by Nick Olsen to emphasize outdoor living with comfy couches, a tiled patio and a pool.William James LairdThis pink cottage kitchen looks out over a garden in Litchfield County, Connecticut. Designer Clive Lonstein’s work is vibrant and unexpected, particularly for a modest Connecticut cottage built in the late 1800s. In a way though, the bright colors all throughout the house are a reflection of the original design for the house. The architect, Ehrick Rossiter was known for his own whimsy, and even included a turret in this design. This cottage is a great reminder to leave the door open all summer long.Stephen Kent JohnsonThis former fishing shack in Provincetown proves that a sprawling garden can fit into a small space. From Windex yellow fox gloves to arching lavender, this is a bucolic slice of heaven. A classic shingled home, complete with flower boxes and a white picket fence, it has a deeply cottage-core sequence backstory. It was used as an artist studio for William Maynard until his death in 2016, and when it was sold, prospective buyers were asked to write why they wanted to live there.Rachael SmithWe love an indoor / outdoor cottage garden. Ideally, you have a branch that grows through a window, like this one in Suzie de Rohan Willner’s English Country Garden. It is a charming marriage of dynamics: English and French, contemporary and historical, and, of course just as eclectic as a cottage should be. Willner notes, “The whole house is a collection of things from each period of my and my husband’s lives. I love to pick up bibs and bobs and it all comes together very happily.”Chronicle / Alamy Stock PhotoKate Middleton’s Adelaide Cottage conjures images of an Arthurian fantasy. The Wales family made this their Windsor home since 2023. Built in 1831 for Queen Adelaide (the German-born wife of William IV, who was the Uncle of Queen Victoria). It went through a transformative renovation in 2015 which left the historical decorations in tact. Fun fact: the Wales family pay market rent for their use of the home.Photo 12//Getty ImagesThe poet, actor, and playwright Anne Hathaway’s famed cottage and accompanying garden must have inspired her husband’s plays (that would be Shakespeare). This might be what comes to mind when you think of a cottage garden. Now open to the public daily, it was originally built more than 500 years ago, and is the site of Hathaway’s own birth in 1556.CostcoThis Costco (yes, Costco!) shed turned cottage is an ideal backdrop for your cottage garden fantasy. If you’re feeling very DIY this year, start here. Priced at $6,499, it measures 12’ x 24’ feet, a perfect amount of space for your own summer hide away or gardening shed.Richard PowersThis glass house is a reminder that a cottage garden doesn’t have to follow a prescribed style. The Amagansett cottage, originally built in 1960, is a marvel of mid-century design, an aesthetic reflected in the mod-furniture choices. Again, we love a stylistic mix in an updated cottage. Japanese Maple Trees complete the woodsy vibe.© David Hockney, Photo By Jonathan WilkinsonDavid Hockney illustrated his own cottage garden during the Pandemic. His drawing is illustrative of the benefits of an English garden: a bit wild, extremely lush, and more green than anything else. If we could, we’d jump right into this scene like Mary Poppins on a rainy day.John M. Hall for ELLE DecorHere’s a rule of thumb: trust Ina Garten. This cottage-like structure, on the grounds of the East Hampton home Garten shares with her husband Jeffrey, is perennially perfect. Note, too, the green and purple color scheme here. This is perhaps the dream cottage garden and something of a childhood playhouse. It has just enough space for a cozy chat and is a reminder that you can build your own little cottage on a very small plot of land.Photo 12//Getty ImagesMarie Antoinette’s Hamlet on the grounds of Versailles still sets the standard for the cottage garden with a thatched roof, hedges, and roses straight out of a fairy tale. During the former French Queen’s reign, her hamlet was used as a faux farm house, where she and her young daughter, Princess Marie Thérèse, would dress as idealized versions of French peasant farmers and milk cows. The interior, though, of this modest cottage, is appropriately grand with silk furnishings and canopy beds.Douglas FriedmanA garden that proves succulents and cottages are a match made in heaven. This one, in Marin County, California, adds a bit of desert flair. On the other side of this cottage is a water way and a perfect little dock for launching paddle boards. We love how the greens liven up this side of the house and create a completely different, almost modern desert-like, aesthetic. As with any great cottage garden, there is a distinctly transportive factor.Michael CliffordA light wood sauna and cold plunge on the grounds of Jenni Kayne’s Hudson Valley farmhouse are hidden behind shrubbery for a sense of privacy against a wide open landscape. We love the idea of adding a spa-like ambiance to a cottage garden as well as finding inventive ways to use the space. This is exactly where we want to be in the summer!Getty ImagesThis is sort of cheating, but Bunny Williams is a necessary inclusion! Williams’s Oak Spring Garden in Upperville, Virginia continues to inspire garden and cottage enthusiasts the world over. Rather than one cottage, the grounds of Williams’s large estate feature a guest cottage and a basket house, both of which are charming in the extreme.Dorothy ScarboroughDorothy Scarborough (she/her) is the assistant to the Editor in Chief of Town & Country and Elle Decor. 
    المصدر: www.elledecor.com
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    Our 15 Favorite Cottage Gardens
    A few summers ago, when the culture was moving through micro trends as fast as they could be Instagrammed, Cottage Core was born. The trend, which came out of a Covid-influenced romanticism for living close to nature (but not ruffing it, à la gorpcore, fashion’s cousin trend), inspired an infusion of chintz and whicker-filled interiors, and, of course, lush English-style gardens.Flash forward to 2025. All those cottage gardens planted in early 2020—rustic, sophisticated, chic—are at their peak. And there really is something to an outdoor space that merges with the indoors, is there not? On a warm summer evening, when the bougainvillea is in bloom, and the grass is a bit damp, what could be more appealing than a home built to nestle into a fantastical garden.Here, we’ve collected some of our favorite cottage gardens. They range from fairy house gardens to campground landscape, historical (Anne Hathaway’s famed cottage that has inspired Shakespeare devotees the world over) to contemporary compound gardens in the woods.While we may have a specific notion of a cottage garden, but they are—and should be—as unique as the people who tend them. One lesson for planting your own? A small space is an asset rather than a limitation.Below, you’ll find 15 of our favorite cottage gardens from Marin County California to Stratford-Upon-Avon, England.William Jess LairdThis Amagansett cottage was literally designed for “summertime snoozes.” It’s also a good reminder that a delicate slate garden pathway can take you far. Designer Melissa Lee noted how “unexpected” the whole place felt, surrounded by the many mansions of the Hamptons. As she rightfully notes, the charm is in the surprise. A suggestion of mystery always adds to a cottage! Think The Secret Garden or the unexpectedly expansive Weasley Family home.Noe DewittVines climb up this 1920s English Art and Crafts style cottage in the Hamptons. The elegant and eclectic cottage was re-designed by Nick Olsen to emphasize outdoor living with comfy couches, a tiled patio and a pool.William James LairdThis pink cottage kitchen looks out over a garden in Litchfield County, Connecticut. Designer Clive Lonstein’s work is vibrant and unexpected, particularly for a modest Connecticut cottage built in the late 1800s. In a way though, the bright colors all throughout the house are a reflection of the original design for the house. The architect, Ehrick Rossiter was known for his own whimsy, and even included a turret in this design. This cottage is a great reminder to leave the door open all summer long.Stephen Kent JohnsonThis former fishing shack in Provincetown proves that a sprawling garden can fit into a small space. From Windex yellow fox gloves to arching lavender, this is a bucolic slice of heaven. A classic shingled home, complete with flower boxes and a white picket fence, it has a deeply cottage-core sequence backstory. It was used as an artist studio for William Maynard until his death in 2016, and when it was sold, prospective buyers were asked to write why they wanted to live there.Rachael SmithWe love an indoor / outdoor cottage garden. Ideally, you have a branch that grows through a window, like this one in Suzie de Rohan Willner’s English Country Garden. It is a charming marriage of dynamics: English and French, contemporary and historical, and, of course just as eclectic as a cottage should be. Willner notes, “The whole house is a collection of things from each period of my and my husband’s lives. I love to pick up bibs and bobs and it all comes together very happily.”Chronicle / Alamy Stock PhotoKate Middleton’s Adelaide Cottage conjures images of an Arthurian fantasy. The Wales family made this their Windsor home since 2023. Built in 1831 for Queen Adelaide (the German-born wife of William IV, who was the Uncle of Queen Victoria). It went through a transformative renovation in 2015 which left the historical decorations in tact. Fun fact: the Wales family pay market rent for their use of the home.Photo 12//Getty ImagesThe poet, actor, and playwright Anne Hathaway’s famed cottage and accompanying garden must have inspired her husband’s plays (that would be Shakespeare). This might be what comes to mind when you think of a cottage garden. Now open to the public daily, it was originally built more than 500 years ago, and is the site of Hathaway’s own birth in 1556.CostcoThis Costco (yes, Costco!) shed turned cottage is an ideal backdrop for your cottage garden fantasy. If you’re feeling very DIY this year, start here. Priced at $6,499, it measures 12’ x 24’ feet, a perfect amount of space for your own summer hide away or gardening shed.Richard PowersThis glass house is a reminder that a cottage garden doesn’t have to follow a prescribed style. The Amagansett cottage, originally built in 1960, is a marvel of mid-century design, an aesthetic reflected in the mod-furniture choices. Again, we love a stylistic mix in an updated cottage. Japanese Maple Trees complete the woodsy vibe.© David Hockney, Photo By Jonathan WilkinsonDavid Hockney illustrated his own cottage garden during the Pandemic. His drawing is illustrative of the benefits of an English garden: a bit wild, extremely lush, and more green than anything else. If we could, we’d jump right into this scene like Mary Poppins on a rainy day.John M. Hall for ELLE DecorHere’s a rule of thumb: trust Ina Garten. This cottage-like structure, on the grounds of the East Hampton home Garten shares with her husband Jeffrey, is perennially perfect. Note, too, the green and purple color scheme here. This is perhaps the dream cottage garden and something of a childhood playhouse. It has just enough space for a cozy chat and is a reminder that you can build your own little cottage on a very small plot of land.Photo 12//Getty ImagesMarie Antoinette’s Hamlet on the grounds of Versailles still sets the standard for the cottage garden with a thatched roof, hedges, and roses straight out of a fairy tale. During the former French Queen’s reign, her hamlet was used as a faux farm house, where she and her young daughter, Princess Marie Thérèse, would dress as idealized versions of French peasant farmers and milk cows. The interior, though, of this modest cottage, is appropriately grand with silk furnishings and canopy beds.Douglas FriedmanA garden that proves succulents and cottages are a match made in heaven. This one, in Marin County, California, adds a bit of desert flair. On the other side of this cottage is a water way and a perfect little dock for launching paddle boards. We love how the greens liven up this side of the house and create a completely different, almost modern desert-like, aesthetic. As with any great cottage garden, there is a distinctly transportive factor.Michael CliffordA light wood sauna and cold plunge on the grounds of Jenni Kayne’s Hudson Valley farmhouse are hidden behind shrubbery for a sense of privacy against a wide open landscape. We love the idea of adding a spa-like ambiance to a cottage garden as well as finding inventive ways to use the space. This is exactly where we want to be in the summer!Getty ImagesThis is sort of cheating, but Bunny Williams is a necessary inclusion! Williams’s Oak Spring Garden in Upperville, Virginia continues to inspire garden and cottage enthusiasts the world over. Rather than one cottage, the grounds of Williams’s large estate feature a guest cottage and a basket house, both of which are charming in the extreme.Dorothy ScarboroughDorothy Scarborough (she/her) is the assistant to the Editor in Chief of Town & Country and Elle Decor. 
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