This is the journal of my endeavours to grow a range of fruit, veg and flowers from seed, grow organically, and my attempts to create a personal paradise with 1/2 acre of maintained gardens and 1/2 acre wild meadows. Northern Ireland's average daily high temperatures are 18 °C (64 °F) in July and 6 °C (43 °F) in January. Soil type: Clay

Tuesday 30 June 2015

30 Days Wild Overview

Pictured: Discovery Walks.
During the month of June I took part in The Wildlife Trust's '30 Days Wild' Campaign which aims to get as many people as possible outdoors and appreciating nature /  our natural environment. 

Its been a great month and I’ve really enjoyed discovering  new walks, and some beautiful areas that I hadn’t known existed. I made an effort to appreciate wildflowers and wildlife and to take time out to listen to the birds and enjoy the sights and sounds around me whether at the house, or out walking in a meadow or along the beach. Here's a little summary of some of the highlights....
This month I was captivated by the beauty of weeds. Many of our weeds have valuable attributes. Dandelion leaves can be used in salads and add a bit of zing, and, of course, dandelion tea is popular. Nettles can be used to make soup, tea, or feed for the garden. Daisies - I'm not sure if they have any benefit apart from being pretty. However, sticky weed can make a refreshing summer's drink; simply put into water, and it tastes similar to cucumber water.

I enjoyed beach walks this month - looking for shells, watching the birds, and seeing some jelly fish.

I enjoyed watching bees and insects on foxglove and chives. The hawthorn trees were in flower and looked fab this month, and in my walks I enjoyed seeing orchids and other wildflowers.

I really love trees and I took lots of forest walks this month to enjoy birds singing, creatures crawling and simply appreciating being outdoors.

The good news is that we can enjoy getting outdoors all year long, but for some inspiration you might have a look at Random Acts of Wildness ideas.

Of course I didn’t quite get through all my plans  for the month. However, I will continue getting ‘wild’ with nature over the rest of the Summer and beyond. 

Copyright: All words and photos are property of Kelli's Northern Ireland Garden.

6 comments:

  1. There's no better place to explore

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  2. Ditto Sue. You have such a wide variety of wild to explore. And in Ireland.

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  3. Great post.. can't beat nature :o)

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  4. This was a very worthwhile "challenge". So many people seem to be completely unaware of the natural environment all around them. The trouble is, there is an element of "preaching to the converted" here - the ones who really NEED to awareness are the ones least likely to participate.

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  5. The simple things in life can be the most rewarding...... great post.

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  6. I also enjoyed your wild life walks, especially the beach part. I'm something of a weed fan myself, as long as they are elsewhere than my garden!

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