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It’s been a busy week of going wild, as part of the #30DaysWild challenge from The Wildlife Trusts. Rather than making a list and ticking it off, I’m using a combination of the ideas from their app, ideas inspired by other people’s Tweets about #30DaysWild, and the ideas that pop into my mind when I’m out and about.
On day #1, I went for a walk along the canal, with the plan of taking some photos of the wildlife. As I get to the bridge over the canal, I peered over to see a new seven new cygnets, along with their parents. This meant I could tick off, ‘Find a bird family.’ I took some photos and, as I drew nearer (but not too near for fear of disturbing the cygnets or invoking the wrath of mum and dad) I managed to get a video too, though I need to edit it in order to upload it. It’s meant I could show friends the cygnets too though.
I wanted to keep a record of #30Days Wild in one place, so I set up an Instagram account (groweatgift) and uploaded my favourite images from my canal walk to it. As I was new to Instagram, I didn’t realise it wasn’t the done thing to batch upload so I uploaded rather more images than I should, but attracted a handful of likes, including some from The Wildlife Trust, which put a smile on my face.
On Day #2, I collected feathers I found on a walk along the canal. Gratifyingly, I found several swan feathers from the family I’d seen the day before. I set them aside for crafting, which is on the list for this weekend
On Day #3, I decided to look for urban nature. Where better to search than the car park outside work? I spent a 5 minute break taking photos of the flowers and grasses poking through the concrete and was astounded at the beauty that was there, once I looked up close. I uploaded the images to Instagram.
I’ve also been Tweeting @GrowEatGift and following the #30DaysWild hashtag, liking posts along the way. It’s a great way to connect with other nature lovers and wonderful seeing my Twitter feed fill up with nature pictures, videos and ideas.
As it’s the weekend, I’m tired and it’s a grey day, I’ve decided to do some nature-inspired crafting today, using the feathes I collected on day #2, along with some fake leaves I found when I was looking through my crafting bag. I’ll post some pictures once I’m done. In the meantime, here’s a picture of some nature art I saw in the woods at National Trust property, Stoneywell last weekend.
#30DaysWild so far
- Find a bird family.
- Collect feathers.
- Explore urban wildlife.
- Do some nature-themed crafting
I’m going with the flow in terms of the rest of #30DaysWild, but here are a few of the ideas I’m considering over the rest of the month.
- Listen to birdsong and record it
- Stare into water
- Make seedbombs
- Draw plants and wildlife
- Make a natural ‘fairy door’ to hide in the countryside
- Go foraging
- Make elderflower champage
- Make a hedgehog home
- Follow nature charities and share their message.
- Put out food for hedgehogs
- Do some citizen science
- Cook in the sunshine
- Invite a friend into nature.
- Watch a natural webcam – Springwatch has some great ones this year
- Discover secrets about my favourite animal (ducklings are a likely target)
These are just a few ideas, but as I see more people’s #30DaysWild activities pop up on Twitter and spend more time in nature, I’m finding more and more things to do. Nature is certainly great for free entertainment.
I’ll also be tending my indoor garden throughout: 3 large tomato plants, lavendar, strawberries, lettuce, herbs, geranium, pansies, ferns and succulents. I’m a big believer in, ‘bringing the outdoor inside’ – and don’t have much in the way of outdoor space – so I’m growing as much as I can indoors instead. The tomatoes in particular seem to appreciate the warmth, and I’m lucky enough to have a lot of windows. By the end of the summer, I’m hoping to have a home filled with plants.
groweatgift 
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