With the summer holidays very much in full swing, this is the second of three photo posts I have put together. In June, our family took part in the Wildlife Trust’s “30 Days Wild” Challenge which encourages people to “get closer to nature” by doing something wild every day of June. These are some of our photographs showing how we took up the challenge in our wood, taken from my Instagram (@treesofsanctuary) and Twitter (@peaceinthewoods) posts.
Day 2: Continuing with the rain theme! We went into the woods to see what was out and about and found loads of creatures taking advantage of the wet. Here you see the snail v slug race… The slug won after a gripping ten minute race!
Day 3: Very lucky to be checking our nests today. Wow – these woodpeckers are growing fast! (As always, nest checked following the BTO’s nest recording scheme code of conduct.)
Day 5: A wander between the showers brings a new discovery – I’m sure that wasn’t there a few days ago…
Day 6: The rain relented! I struggled to fit in being outside today, but I made the effort and it was so worth it – there was so much to see. Just one of the highlights was the masses of bloody crane’s-bill flowers exploding from the hedgerow. Their colour was so incredibly vivid, seeming to have a depth drawn from the sunlight. It stopped me in my tracks.
Day 9: Dioesn’t have to be big to be beautiful! Amazing what I can see when I take the time to look.
Day 10: Nature is just so cool! How architectural is this fungi?! What a fab thing to find on my walk in the woods today (and it wasn’t even raining!)
Day 11: Today I saw the beauty in a wasps nest, then wrote a post about the spring stories unfolding beneath the trees in our wood.
Day 12: Not too wet and cold to appreciate the camouflage on this little bug! What a beauty…
Day 15: Watched a wandering dock beetle shimmer in the sun…
Day 16: Two for the price of one – cooked drop scones on an outdoor fire for Father’s Day, then danced through the rain in the deluge that began just as we sat down to eat!
Day 17: Remembering that even the nature I think of as commonplace is incredibly beautiful if I take the time to stop and look…
Day20 : Took some time to listen to the bees buzzing round the brambles today, and hoped the world of the future still holds these simple pleasures…
Day 23: I found an elephant in the moth trap this morning – hawkmoth that is 😉
Day 24: I had a visit from this cockchaffer beetle today. It brought a smile to my face… It’s name mean big beetle in Old English, but I think another of its name suits it better : the doodlebug.
Day 25: Paused on my walk to photograph this ringlet, then shared it with the kind guy who stopped his bike to ask if I was lost and needed directions.
Day 26: Looked a little closer at an odd piece of stick and saw a moth! Such cool amouflage…
Day 27: Nothing beats a good minibeast hunt with the children!
Final Day! Party in the wood! Thrilled today to share nature with friends. What a fabulous end to a wonderfully wild journey through June…
Trees of Sanctuary 