Day 30 - A barefoot wander in the garden

The final day of 30 Days Wild 2016! 

For me, this is actually Day 396 as I turned 30 Days Wild last year in to a whole year wild and, as much as I've loved doing it, I'm glad it's over now and am very ready for a break from having to do something outdoors everyday!

I had another busy day today so spent my time outdoors in the garden after school having a barefoot walk and seeing what I could find!  (Sorry, my feet are all puffy with red patches in the photo - still swollen, still painful!)

There are lots of tiny mushrooms amongst the grass at the moment.

The red campion has gone to seed now...

As these flowers are just opening

The no mow areas are getting slowly wilder.

I wonder which bird dropped this?

 

I sat amongst a clover patch for five or ten minutes and watched a variety of bees visiting the flowers...

Then realised (when a bee buzzed past me and went in) that there's a nest here...

With bees coming and going...

How did you enjoy nature on this last day of 30 Days Wild?  Or are you carrying on?!

Last year on Day 30 I read in the garden, made a bee watering hole in the garden and watched the sunset whilst reading on the moorland. After sunset, I tested a new camera on the moon and photographed the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter.

http://louises30dayswild.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/day-30_30.html

Day 29 - Noticing Nature on a busy day

I had another long Wednesday at school this week (though not quite as long as last week!), working from 8:30 to 6 ish which didn't leave me a lot of time or energy to play outside today. As I left the house this morning, I looked around, waiting for something to catch my eye and spotted the sparkling raindrops on these bright flowers. It was sunny for a very short time this morning, before heavy rain rolled in.

The rain eased again and the sun came out for a little while in the evening but as I was driving home, I noticed the dark clouds approaching and stopped for a short while to watch the weather rolling in! Just as I arrived home, the rain reached my house!

How did you enjoy being outdoors on Day 29?

Last year on Day 29 I made a journey stick and build a log pile habitat in the garden
http://louises30dayswild.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/day-29_29.html

Day 28 - Birdwatching and raindrops

I had a few wild moments today. The first was my grandmother taking me around her garden to show me which flowers had done well and which hadn't and such and then later, I had a bit of time to kill after leaving my grandmother's and before going to school so I parked up and sat and watched the birds for a while.

I saw magpies, dunnocks, swallows and house martins. I also saw a sparrowhawk and heard chiffchaffs and a wren.

I didn't take any photos of the flowers or the birds though so I needed to find a photo opportunity after school and decided, as heavy rain had arrived, I'd get wet taking pictures of raindrops!  I do like the way the droplets catch on Alchemilla leaves.

How was your Day 28?

Last year on Day 28 I had a short walk and learned a little about owls

http://louises30dayswild.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/day-28.html

Day 27 - Hartington Meadows

The sun was shining after school so I decided to put in a little effort today and head to Hartington Meadows. It's a short walk to the meadow and it a lovely spot to spend a sunny evening.  This site is owned by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and this is their description...

Hartington Meadows is bursting with the colour of wildflowers through the summer. The grassland is managed as part of a working farm, and is cut for hay in mid-July - this encourages meadow flowers such as hay rattle and meadow vetchling. Different flowers grow on the rock outcrops - among them are clustered bellflower and dropwort. The rough grassland also provides breeding sites for skylark and ground-nesting birds. Various orchids and other limestone flowers thrive in and around the disused limestone quarry, while its faces provide breeding sites for cliff-nesting birds such as kestrel and jackdaw.

It was breezy so some photographs are quite blurry.

I went through the gate and up the bank on the left, where the fragrant orchids grow, amongst other flowers.

Who doesn't love quaking grass?!

There was a family of ravens flying around and calling nearby.

dropwort

I made my way back down the bank, which wasn't as easy as going up with my painful feet!

Following a path back towards the car, I spotted a little moth which I've identified as a common yellow conch, Agapeta hamana.

I also made a little detour to a stony patch where frog orchids grow, amongst many other flowers. I couldn't find the frog orchids this time.

Almost there now, just a short way along the Tissington Trail back to the car.

I spotted a little pupa dangling from a leaf. I've no idea what it is though.

What did you do on Day 27?

 Last year on Day 27 I visited Peak Wildlife Park and then went looking for grasshoppers

http://louises30dayswild.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/day-27.html