A nudge from nature
Autumnal joy
Hello, I’m Rachel. I write about nature and creativity to encourage connection and wellbeing. These occasional nudges from nature are prompts and ideas to get out into nature and connect using your senses and creativity.
Hello!
This is a quick nudge. Something to do, something to watch and something to think about. While mainly Northern Hemisphere related, I hope some can be transferred to my Southern readers.
Something to do
Here on the south coast of England, the autumnal colours have really started turning. So, this nudge is to encourage you to make a point of noticing. Whether it’s the trees lining the road, or when walking the dog, the leaves in seedheads in your garden. Getting outside and noting the beauty can help with those who might be feeling the darkening evenings and falling temperatures.
If you have a bit more time, maybe seek out a local garden or estate for an autumnal walk. Some big estates/gardens were originally designed for autumnal displays. Yesterday we went to National Trust Sheffield Park which has many Acers and Maples and is currently full of reds and oranges and lots of strange seedpods. I’ll write more about it in my next Create with Nature post.
But it doesn’t need to be a man made landscape. Woods and fields are all going through their autumn changes. Even my little garden is full of seedheads and changing leaves. Different trees turn different colours and some leaves last longer than others. We have beech woods near us and their leaves turn a rich golden brown and last a lot longer mixing with the seed cases to create a wonderful woodland carpet. Maybe see how many different leaves you can spot and collect.
This article from Countryfile magazine has some more ideas.
Something to watch
If you’ve been reading my substack for a while, you might remember me lamenting that the BBC had cancelled their Autumnwatch programme (Spring and Winterwatch will still be happening).
But! Chris Packham, Megan McCubbin and a host of other wonderful naturalists and conservationists have come together to host a programme called 8 out of 10 Bats. It’s on YouTube, streaming live Mon-Thursday at 7.30GMT+1) this week and next. They can then be streamed after. This week they are based in Glen Affric at the Dundreggan Rewilding Centre, then next week they are going south to the British Wildlife Centre. I’ve really enjoyed them, lots of nature info nuggets, films of gorgeous places and fabulous creatures, mixed in with fun and games.
Something to think about
Despite the fact I lost a week somewhere, next week is Halloween and signs of celebrating are starting to appear in the shops and in front gardens. This is a little plea from our wildlife if you are thinking of decorating your home. If you are going to carve a pumpkin, please think about using an edible pumpkin (or similar). Some of those sold are not edible and therefore contribute to the huge amount of food waste this country produces. Pumpkins can be made into lots of lovely things from soup to pie. Many organisations now don’t advise putting them out for wildlife to eat as they can cause digestive problems for some, particularly hedgehogs. But they can be safely composted or you could turn them into bird feeders once you’ve scooped out the contents.
The other thing I saw on a recent walk was fake cobwebs, the sticky spray kind. Again, this could cause problems for wildlife such as birds and insects if they accidentally fly into it and get stuck. It’s also probably made from non-biodegradable synthetic/plastic and could end up littering our streets and washing into water sources.
I’m not being a Halloween scrouge - I’m sure it’s just that people hadn’t thought about the effect these things could have. There are plenty of other ways to decorate without harming the planet whether shop bought or homemade.
Thank you! Hope these ideas give you something to spark joy and awe. See you soon for my next Create with Nature round up.
Please do share if you’ve found it interesting or helpful, please do share it with others. Every little helps!
Must get to Sheffield Park