getting out in the countryside

  

Connecting with nature.

Whipsnade Tree Cathedral is great place to visit for a walk or simply to sit and unwind. It’s a planned out space for peace and quiet reflection, a place where nature can be appreciated and enjoyed. Laid out here in sections that conform with the church structure, are a variety of trees and hedges to explore. 

Sections offer benches and ideal areas for children to explore. At the West (left side) you can follow the Western Approaches pathway of Horse chestnuts on to an avenue of Ash including towers of Holly, Beech, Birch and Scots Pine. At the top of the Cathedral you will find a dew pond (dry at present) containing Lawson's cypress. 

Exiting on the West side you can continue through a tree lined pathway out of the cathedral and up to the fields and eventually up into the National Trust - Dunstable Downs, car park.

“a chance to connect 

with nature and improve 

your wellbeing”

Exploring fields and trees is something I did in childhood that has stayed with me. This is an ideal area for children to run and explore to uncover the hidden treasures in the woodland and its wildlife. Perhaps taking a few conkers and acorns to plant in pots at home and waiting patiently for a trees first roots to grow. 

Looking back I appreciate what having that space to play in and enjoy did for me and my appreciation of nature. Unfortunately many of these spaces have gone so it is so important that we support and protect what we can because it is irreplaceable

The origin of the Tree Cathedral

Returning from the horror of the first world war Edmund Blyth created this arboretum in memory of his close friends who were killed. Laid out in the form of a cathedral using trees and shrubs.

Look out for this heart in the tree on the public footpath towards the 

National Trust - Dunstable Downs, car park

it's not a weed

 

Rewild and they will come.

We can each make a difference in our own small way. Whatever space if you are able to leave something for nature it will make a difference. By designing with nature there are several ways you are making a positive change. 

1 By providing a foothold for the natural world 

2 Encouraging native insects and animals that will keep pests under control 

3 Improving soil by working with nature 

4 Creating a space for you to enjoy

The difference between a flower and a weed is your mindset!

Instead of using chemicals and sprays to stop your plants being eaten, start with a change to your mindset. Native flora and fauna can be seen as welcome additions to your green space. Indigenous plants will work with you, attracting pollinators and beneficial insects, improving pollination, and deterring pests. Frogs, birds, ants, ladybirds, there are so many different species that can keep slugs, snails, caterpillars and green fly under control. 

Birds and butterflies can be attracted to your garden by providing flowers and feeders but to keep them there you need the food plants growing nearby. By enhancing biodiversity you will be contributing to a more sustainable garden, while also reducing the need for chemical interventions Take action to help restore a relationship with land and nature. 

Clover, dandelion and nettles have their place with the nursery plants and vegetables in our garden. Together they have created a vibrant and rewarding space for all of us

Photo's and video taken in the garden

the benefits of a native space

Leaving a space for nature. 

At work or at home, if we can leave a little wild space we all benefit. As soon as you let nature in you will be part of something magical that starts to happen.

If we change our mindset and not expect neatly groomed grass lawn, we can encourage our native plants and wildlife back. Green space within your work or garden will help the bees, birds and butterflies. A diversity of flowing tall grasses, wild flower colours, textures, scents and shapes await. 

We can take measures to restore and beautify the surroundings of the spaces we have for the benefit us and for nature. The importance of greening up a space within a built up environment that is nurtured and cared for cannot be underestimated in the beneficial rewards it will help to bring to our ecosystem. There are so many positives from greening up an Urban spaces, resulting in a healthy environment that can reap rewards in reducing carbon emissions, less pollution and cleaner air. Wild spaces that allow native plants to thrive also promote wellbeing.

The difference between a flower and a weed is your mindset!

A relationship with nature is important for mental health, and can be beneficial in many ways. Here are some ways to connect with nature. When we change our mindset and embrace our native environment we notice the the plants and flowers that are part of our native ecosystem.

Embrasing a change that benifits nature improves mood and benefits our own wellbeing by providing a closer connection to nature. The long term economic benefits when green spaces are maintained has been proven. Working in greener surroundings helps in improving social cohesion and provides a learning opportunity for everyone who engages in it. 

Left to grow this grass island between the side road springs back to life.

Unfortunately once it has been cut down the area is reduced to sterile grass again! 

nature in crisis!

Rewilding to help in the restoration
of our ecosystem. 

A pot on a balcony containing wild flowers or a corner of your garden, left untouched, would be great. Every effort supplies a vital foot hold to our native plants and wildlife. 👌😍

Turning a lawn into a meadow will create a space to help pollinators and native plant species. They are not weeds but native plants that play an active part in sustaining the local ecosystem.

The difference between a flower and a weed is your mindset!

BELOW: A sunny corner of the garden left wild is a real boon to nature. Here a male Orange Tip butterfly is shown on the left, with a female on the right looking to lay her eggs on the native Garlic Mustard, caterpillar food plant

 

Butterflies are a barometer to the environmental disaster we are rapidly approaching. 

Banning pesticides and active rewilding is despirately needed  🌱🌼🦋🐝🐦‍⬛

It is essential to protect the diverse species that make up our unique ecosystem, and vital to the health and viability of our lives, work and wellbeing.

Here are some informative articles (click image to go to story)