With the warm spring and now some welcome rain, we have reached the stage when nature is rushing ahead whether we are ready or not!
Similarly, while I am still doing a lot to embed the Nature and Wellbeing work within the Foundation, the clock is ticking toward Letchworth events that I am excited to be part of.
During June, Letchworth Festival are promoting 30 Days Wild. This is a Wildlife Trust initiative that asks people to do something wild every day throughout June. it doesn’t matter if you start late, every wild action is good, and you can always continue into July. See the Wildlife Trust for further ideas or Letchworth Festival for a local flavour.
As part of the Letchworth Festival and 30 Days Wild, I am giving talks at the Settlement on Thursday 5 June and Thursday 26 June at 7:30 pm (same talk repeated).
Illustrated with personal stories, I will take a gentle look at some of the science that confirms the positive impact of nature on our health and wellbeing. I will then consider how we can use this knowledge and understanding when navigating the inevitable ups and downs of life. I am planning for this to be a friendly and informal session with plenty of time to ask questions. As spaces are limited, please book through the Settlement.
Later in the month, on Saturday 21 June, I will be joining colleagues on Leys Avenue for Letchworth Green Festival. It would be lovely to see people for a chat or to pick up a sheet for our Green Festival Nature Trail. We will have information on some of the Foundation's green initiatives, including how to get involved with volunteering. To complement this, some of the voluntary groups we support will have stands and activities on The Wynd.
Finally, before putting my feet up, I am running an engagement event at our annual Town Meeting and also introducing a touch of nature to the event.
I have written in previous blogs about a new Wildlife Group in Letchworth. It has now adopted the name Breath in Nature. Although I am offering some support, it will be independent of the Foundation. One thing that I have been able to help with is a site for the group on Discover Letchworth. This is still a work in progress, so please be patient, but it will provide details of future meetings and activities, as well as the opportunity for you to record things you have done for nature and nature that you have seen. This will become a valuable resource for the town.
While life has been busy, I am fortunate to have opportunities to slow down and consider nature and my own wellbeing. One such opportunity occurred yesterday when I joined the Hertfordshire Butterfly Group for a walk through Hillbrow Orchard, the site we will be making our first Nature Reserve, and along the Greenway. Despite threatening clouds and a strong breeze, the sun shone, and the butterflies and moths responded. The rare Small Blue Butterfly that we are aiming to protect was at the top of our spotters' list with 27 seen. We also saw Butterflies: Brimstone, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Large White, Peacock, Small Heath, Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood. Moths: Burnet Companion, Cinnabar, Mother Shipton, Small Yellow Underwing, Yellow Shell.
You don’t need to be an expert, there are some beautiful wildflowers along the greenway, so as part of 30 Days Wild, why not take a walk and see how many flowers, butterflies and moths you can find?
