Five massive tree ferns have made an “epic journey” from Edinburgh to the south-west tip of Scotland.

The heaviest of the 20ft (7m) tall plants weighed in at 350kg (770lbs).

The Dicksonia antartica tree ferns have been growing for nearly 150 years in glasshouses at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE).

Due to refurbishment work, they have been moved to a new outdoor home 145 miles away at Logan Botanic Garden near Stranraer.

The complex operation took place as part of a project to restore the historic glasshouses in Edinburgh.

The tree ferns were too tall to dig up and move easily so the team involved cut the “trunks” – which are actually a mass of roots – and later replanted them which will allow them to regenerate in their new location.

Prior to being transferred, the two-metre long fronds at the top of each fern were removed then the top four metres of each “trunk” were carefully taken out and prepared for their long journey.

At the end, they were replanted – outside for the first time in their lives.

Sadie Barber, research collections and project manager at RBGE, said it had not been easy to come up with an answer to how to move the plants.

“To enable the glasshouse restoration, we are now in the process of transplanting plants from our ferns and fossils glasshouse for safekeeping,” she said.

“However, specimens such as Dicksonia antarctica and Thyrsopteris elegans are massive and grow tightly together along narrow, winding paths.

“Finding solutions to lifting and moving them safely in such a confined space has been quite a challenge.”

Anti-litter campaigners joined forces at a Cornwall beach to mark a week of environmental events.

Beach cleaners including Pat Smith of The Final Straw, Emily Stevenson of Beach Guardian and Andrew Forst of Turn the Tide met at Carlyon Bay.

The aim was to mark the final day of the Great Big Green Week.

“It’s great to join forces with others who are passionate about protecting our planet,” said Ms Smith.

“Getting together inspires us all to find new ways and encourage more people to join in efforts to do something really positive to tackle huge issues such as climate change and plastic pollution.”

Ways to restore the water quality of rivers running though Herefordshire are to be looked at.

A commission enabling the county council to work with other local authorities and agencies to improve the rivers Wye and Lugg has been set up.

Both rivers are struggling with high levels of nutrients, mainly phosphates, which affect water quality and eco-balance, the council has said.

It aims to protect the wildlife habitats.

Both the Wye and Lugg are designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and are also Special Areas of Conservation (SAC).

Natural England ensures the ecology of watercourses remains in good health and sets limits for the level of nutrients.

From Monday, it is an offence to hunt or injure a basking shark (without permission or licence), wilfully interfere with or destroy its breeding or resting places

The basking shark is the second biggest fish in the world.

Basking sharks are to get special protection under new regulations that have been introduced in the Republic of Ireland.

They are now protected under Ireland’s Wildlife Act.

The basking shark is a globally-threatened species, which faces a high risk of extinction.

Basking sharks are one of the largest species of the shark family.

They are the second largest species of any fish, reaching sizes in excess of ten metres and weighing several tonnes.

Each year, between May and October, they visit UK and Irish waters.

When an animal like the basking shark is protected under the act, it is an offence to hunt or injure them, unless done so under permission or licence granted by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

It is also an offence to wilfully interfere with, or destroy, the breeding or resting places of such species.

The move had been announced previously, but came into effect from midnight on Monday.

Minister of State for Heritage Malcolm Noonan and Minister for the Marine Charlie McConalogue. made the announcement on Monday.

In Northern Ireland, basking sharks are protected under the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985. It makes it illegal to intentionally kill, injure or harass basking sharks in UK waters.

An amazing show of the aurora borealis has been captured in Northumberland.

The phenomenon, also known as the Northern Lights, was seen at Kielder Observatory.

Astronomer Dan Monk said it was the best display he had seen “in ages”.

The light show happens when atoms in the Earth’s high-altitude atmosphere collide with charged particles from the sun.

Winds of up to 80 mph (129 km/hr) could batter parts of Wales on Wednesday, according to the Met Office.

It could cause “danger to life from flying debris” as well as damage to buildings and travel disruption.

The warning covers Anglesey, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Pembrokeshire, Powys and Wrexham.

“Heavy rain may prove an additional hazard across north western areas,” the forecaster has said.

The Met Office said the “most likely scenario” was for wind gusts of up to 65mph (104 km/h) within the warning area.

Forty-four pure gold coins dating to the 7th Century have been found hidden in a wall at a nature reserve in northern Israel, archaeologists say.

Weighing about 170g, the hoard found at the Hermon Stream (Banias) site was hidden during the Muslim conquest of the area in 635, experts estimated.

They said the findings shed light on the tail end of the Byzantine Empire.

The Byzantine Empire was the eastern half of the Roman Empire, which survived for more than 1,000 years.

“We can imagine the owner concealing his fortune in the threat of war, hoping to return one day to retrieve his property,” said Yoav Lerer, director of the excavation.

“In retrospect, we know that he was less fortunate.”

Mr Lerer added that the discovery “may shed light on the economy of the city of Banias during the last 40 years of Byzantine rule”.

Apart from the gold coins, the excavation – in a residential quarter of the ancient city – also uncovered the remains of buildings, water channels and pipes, bronze coins and much more, Israeli authorities said.

Dr Gabriela Bijovsky, a numismatic (currency) expert at the Israel Antiquities Authority, said some of the coins were of Emperor Phocas (602-610), but most were of his successor Heraclius.

Banias has a particular place in Christian tradition, being the site where Jesus is said to have told the apostle Peter, “on this rock, I will build my church”.