Make room for nature every June with The Wildlife Trust's 30 Days Wild, no matter where you are or how busy your life!
Complete A Random Act of Wildness every day for the month... anything that you can do in an average working day to bring a little nature into your life.
Find inspiration at http://mywildlife.org.uk/30DaysWild/
I was in Wirksworth (Derbyshire) earlier this evening to see a film at my favourite cinema. After a couple of hours inside, I felt a real sense of joy walking out of the cinema at 9:30 to the fresh air and a still-light-evening...
I was really excited to be outdoors - there was a lovely atmosphere - it felt calm and peaceful and I was loving the cool air and the light breeze (perhaps it was just the effect of a pint of Dunkerton's black fox I'd had*, but I was so happy to be outdoors!)... My lift home* wasn't yet in sight, so rather than stand about at the roadside, I decide to enhance my enjoyment of the evening by walking up The Dale (a very steep, very narrow lane) to the StarDisc. I love the StarDisc!
I love it even more when I'm the only person there. I'm always happiest when I have places to myself, just me and the wildlife!
As darkness fell (and my lift arrived in Wirksworth) it was time to head home but I so enjoyed my little bit of evening spent outdoors :)
*I usually have to drive to Wirksworth as I live a few miles away but my car is a little bit broken so I'd had to arrange a lift to the cinema and home again and was therefore able to enjoy a favourite cider - bonus! - I usually drive myself everywhere so don't usually get to drink!
I've spent a few evenings working on a list of possible inspiration for 30 Days Wild! Before I even knew it, I was approaching 100 ideas! Some of them came from The Wildlife Trusts and The National Trust but many of them are my own - just the sorts of things I do anyway!
I keep thinking of more and more things I could add, but I've decided to stop and keep it to 90 things, splitting it into 3 blog posts to make it more manageable as I've also 'illustrated' my list with my own photos - all taken by me (or featuring me!) over the last few years.
It's been great fun browsing through my (extensive!) photo archives to find photos to match an idea on the list and I've really enjoyed reminiscing about past adventures whilst I've been putting the list together! I really hope this will be of use to someone reading!
Here are my next 30 wild ideas... (you can click on them to enlarge any of the photos)
61 Go Cloud spotting - see what you see in the clouds or learn to identify some of the different types
62 Listen to raindrops splashing down around you
63 Look closely at your garden - what else is growing amongst the grass
64 Designate a 'no mow zone' in the garden and see what grows when given the chance
65 Hire a boat and take to the water
66 Take a closer look - focus on the details
67 Visit a seabird colony
68 Discover which creatures are making homes in your garden
Tree wasps took over one of the bird boxes last year
69 Visit a farm on Open Farm Sunday
70 Take stepping stones to cross a river
71 Enjoy a wildlife watching trip
72 Peek inside a hollow tree
I found a beautiful hornet's nest inside this ash tree
73 Balance on a fallen tree
74 Enjoy a brew with a view
75 Take a walk at dusk
76 Look for mosses and lichens
77 Admire the beauty in a local landscape
78 Bring a bit of the outdoors indoors
79 Visit an ancient woodland
Wild service tree
80 Get up close and personal with an insect
hornet
81 Set up a moth trap - or go to an organised local moth trapping night
82 Forage for leaves to add to a salad, elderflowers to make cordial...
hawthorn - from garden hedge...
...to my lunchbox!
83 Discover what's lurking in a swamp!
84 Start a nature journal or wild adventures diary
85 Go on a nature scavenger hunt - look for different textures, a particular colour... (Google has plenty of scavenger hunt list ideas!)
86 Go looking for fungi - you can find it all year round if you look
87 Squelch barefoot through some mud
88 Make bread or toast marshmallows over a camp fire (but do follow the usual fire and safety rules)
89 Join a nature organisation such as your local Wildlife Trust, the RSPB, the BTO, the Woodland Trust, Plantlife, Buglife… I could go on! I believe it is worth paying a few pounds a month to these organisations and I’m a member of all those listed above plus Friends of the Peak District - even on my meagre part time wages!
90 Defend Nature - sign this petition before it’s too late - then go outside and enjoy the natural world!
I hope these three posts have offered you some inspiration! I keep on thinking of things I could have added to the list and could easily write another post or two but have resisted the temptation to go into 'Part Four'! I think there is already plenty of inspiration here and on other blogs / sites out there and we'll all inspire each other as June progresses and we share our Wild Days on social media!
See previous two posts for the part one and part two of my wild ideas!
I've spent a few evenings working on a list of possible inspiration for 30 Days Wild! Before I even knew it, I was approaching 100 ideas! Some of them came from The Wildlife Trusts and The National Trust but many of them are my own - just the sorts of things I do anyway!
I keep thinking of more and more things I could add, but I've decided to stop and keep it to 90 things, splitting it into 3 blog posts to make it more manageable as I've also 'illustrated' my list with my own photos - all taken by me (or featuring me!) over the last few years.
It's been great fun browsing through my (extensive!) photo archives to find photos to match an idea on the list and I've really enjoyed reminiscing about past adventures whilst I've been putting the list together! I really hope this will be of use to someone reading!
Here are my next 30 wild ideas... (you can click on them to enlarge any of the photos)
31 Run around outside in the rain - or go for a walk on a rainy day
It looks misty but that was torrential rain!
32 Look for animal tracks
33 Build a sandcastle then watch the sea devour it (add a moat and a channel)
34 Hunt for fossils
35 Visit a poppy field or wildflower meadow
36 Make (or find!) a rope swing
37 Start a nature table in your home - or make a natural treasure memory jar from a wild day out
38 Find a rainbow in nature
39 See what you can find in a rock pool
40 Build a den
41 Go on a night time safari looking for bats and/or glow worms! Your local Wildlife Trust or bat group may run organised walks.
42 Look for the little things
heather shieldbug nymph and its shadow
43 Climb a hill (don't forget to look back and take in the view every so often)
44 Search for natural treasures
45 See what's living in a local pond
46 Have a snail race
47 Make a paper boat and sail it down a stream
48 Paddle in a stream, river or sea
49 Head out for a golden hour wander
50 Discover a new wild place in your local area
51 Visit an ancient monument
52 See how many different birds / flowers / trees you can find in your garden or local park
53 Stand behind a waterfall
54 Find a natural face in a tree
55 Or make your own face using clay and natural materials
56 Explore the world beneath your feet - head underground into a cave
57 Go out and look for butterflies
58 Discover a new path to walk
59 Play Pooh Sticks
60 Have a picnic
Part three will follow tomorrow with the final 30 suggestions. I hope parts one and two have offered you a little inspiration!
