urban

Overlooked Urban Nature: the Surprising History of Some Early Spring Flowers

Guest Contributor plants, urban , ,
Rue-leaved saxifrage

Guest post by Miles King of People Need Nature

Early spring is possibly my favourite time of year. Day by day, Nature comes back to life in front of us. For me, it lifts my spirits. Even in this most bizarre winter, when the winter didn’t look like it was going to arrive at all, but finally did so in early March. But of course as the sun gets ever stronger, the cold nights quickly disappear and beautiful warm sunshine greets me as I let the chickens out first thing in the morning.

Nature survives at the margins

Today I found a particularly pleasing, though very small, sign of spring – Whitlow grass (Erophila verna) flowering here in Dorchester. Read more

How to Start a Native Wildflower Meadow [6 Easy Steps]

Jo Cartmell jo's mini meadow , , ,
The meadow in it's third year

In the UK we have some amazing native wildflowers. Unfortunately, we have lost a staggering 98% of our wildflower meadows and their poetic beauty since the 1930’s. This means that few people have seen an authentic one which is resulting in fashionable, highly colourful, non-native, perennial ‘meadows’.

This crucial loss is impacting on the many populations of bees, butterflies, pollinating bugs and birds who depend on UK native wildflower rich meadows which they co-evolved with. The simple act of sowing the right wildflowers can make a huge difference to wildlife and to your well-being. Read more

Jo’s Mini Meadow 4 – Experience Untouched Landscapes by Sowing Wildflower Meadows and Leaving Nature in Charge

Jo Cartmell jo's mini meadow , ,
Speckled Bush Cricket nymph

“In the middle ages, a lawn was more like a meadow; it was a flowery mead, bursting with perfumed wildflowers and herbs and grasses.” John Lewis-Stempel

The beauty of a wildflower meadow is that it is constantly in a state of change. Nature teaches me to be patient: to wait and see what happens each year. Read more