From wildflower meadows to murder mysteries

We’ve had a busy time on zoom this month enjoying each others’ company whilst also learning new things about all of the Nature around us.

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Our first session this month was learning about the importance of our green spaces around us for nature and indeed ourselves. We discussed ways in which we could actively take steps to improve our green spaces by making promises to nature . The promises included planting new pollinating plants in our gardens , walking more and using less water and plastics. By the end of the session we all agreed that we needed nature to thrive in order to thrive ourselves and that we should take steps in our daily lives to support nature.

During our next session we visualised our dream meadows and discussed how we could actively take steps to making this a reality . We learnt that for so many of our participants going out for walks and seeing the wild flowers and insects had been a joy during these difficult months . Some had planted their own wildflower seeds and wanted to learn how to look after their own wild garden. It was clear that many appreciated the need to replant meadows. Learning about how plants have been used over the years for medicines and other products was fascinating.

A wonderful session was the one we had to prepare for the Big Butterfly Count . We learnt how to spot and identify butterflies and moths .The ir life cycles and their importance as pollinators .Seventeen of our participants wanted to take part in the count which was wonderful and many indeed had a lovely few weeks outside trying to identify the butterflies they saw . Most said that their favourite was the Peacock although not many were seen!

In addition we had an opportunity to make our own butterfly masks and wings.

We carried on with the educational theme by discussing Water and how it is the most important resource that we have. We also had a practical session on how to build a mini pond and discussed what creatures we could expect to see in and around the pond however small.

Finally we asked our participants to become detectives and solve a woodland themed murder mystery. This was great fun but also an opportunity to learn about woodlands , animal habits and habitats. We found out that many had a wonderful knowledge about wild animals. Many were brilliant at being able to examine the evidence presented and reach a conclusion about guilt or otherwise based on the what they had observed and what they had learnt. Importantly we all had fun!