Wild About Plants

August edition of pioneer out

The Wild About Plants team have just sent out the latest edition of Pioneer to the growing list of subscribers from all corners of the country. This August edition took a look at berries - a timely theme as our hedgerows start to ripen. Katie Cameron who edits Pioneer said 'It is wonderful to see so many people responding to Pioneer, sharing their views and memories with us and providing source material for future editions. Our aim is for the magazine to develop a real community feel, reflecting the passion for wild plants that people have and helping us all learn more about the wild plants on our doorsteps.' If you would like to receive Pioneer then click here and enter your email in the subscribers box. If you would like to receive the August issue then please email click here .

Do you have memories or have you heard stories of children collecting conkers, blackberries, moss or rosehips during the World Wars? Our next edition of Pioneer due out in November will be taking a look at plants and war and we would love to here from anyone who has childhood memories of foraging for the war effort. Please email Katie with your stories.

Summer sun inspires way with words

Summer

Air Clear-
Reveals forgotten scenery,
Answering the winter’s questions:

Patches of flower heads bow in the lazing grass.
Whispers..
In ochre fields.

Singing poppy carpets dance in waves.
Swaying elderberry islands
Oscillate in clusters,
Tease cow parsley cousins
On stalks in hedgerows.

Trees:
Full blood, dominate,
Like green doves-

Proud.
Ivies spread,
Sequinned in tambourine bells.
Whilst sundabs on roadways
Blur the asphalt yellow.

Dragonflies and butterflies
Chance fragile show.

People.. Aimless, ambling,

Children playing endlessly
In sand and sea:
While flashlights
Pizzicato
On the crests of waves.

Ted S-O..
Poets Anonymous,
Croydon.

If you have been inspired by wild plants and would like to submit a poem to our growing anthology then please click here to find out more about our Way with Words challenge. Please email Katie with your own interpretations of the landscape and its wild plants.

Wild About Plants in Northamptonshire

About 40 hardy youngsters and their parents braved the rain to go on a Summer Toddle Waddle in Boughton Pocket Park on August 4th - National Play Day. The event was organised by the charity Plantlife (www.wildaboutplants.org.uk) to show how much fun can be have exploring natural spaces in the local community. Felicity Harris from Plantlife had a wide range of activities on offer for the young naturalists, including creating a nest for bugs or a solitary bee, making a miniature meadow and decorating a botanical bonnet. Dulcie Poole, five from Boughton, had great fun making her bonnet. "We collected berries, leaves and flowers and stuck them to my purple hat. I did have some pretty thistle flowers but the rain has washed them away," she laughed.

This article was written by Charlotte Mackaness a journalist and volunteer who looks after Boughton Pocket Park.

Buzzy in Totnes

Things were really buzzing at Totnes St. John’s Primary School when the children of year three studied wildflowers within the school grounds.

It was all part of the Bee Scene project initiated by the charity Plantlife to find out if there is enough pollen for local bees to survive.‘The information is used to see which areas are good for bees with a view to feeding a national policy to correct and support the bee population,’ explained Jane Kinross, who was coordinating the plant hunt. We looked at the different types of flowers that attract different bees. There are 24 species of bumble bee - some with short tongues, some with long - which need different sized flowers to visit. It’s good to use schools and local communities to gather this information and I’ve been surprised at how good the children are at taking it all in and doing the survey.’

Some of the plants the children were learning to identify included dandelions, red campion, red and white clover, foxgloves, herb robert and knapweed. ‘This is a really good exercise for them,’ said Polly Bradshaw, mum to Emily who was helping the budding botanists record their findings.‘I used to know some of these plant names when I was a kid but you forget, don’t you? So it’s great that the children get to learn about them and it’s not forgotten.’

Totnes St. John’s was one of four primary schools participating locally in the nationwide survey.

We are grateful Richard Davies at the Totnes Times for letting us use this article which was first featured in their paper and was written by Julia Howarth.

School children Wild About Plants in Merseyside

Phew what a busy few months. Here in the north west the Wild about Plants team has worked with 31 schools in Merseyside since March, that’s 1594 children! We have been running workshops at the National Wildflower Centre where we have been discovering different types of wild flowers. Tansy was particularly popular. Some children from Allsaints Primary School even freed Butterflies at the centre that they have been growing at their school and I often see the butterflies bopping between all the different flowers that there are at the centre. The visiting schools also took part in workshops such as Land Art and Wildlife Explorers.

We have not just had schools visit the National Wildflower Centre but have been out and about visiting schools too. Our school sessions have been particularly successful and allowed children and teachers to explore their school grounds uncovering a whole new world. Children have discovered many new things they hadn’t noticed before. For example, last week we visited Mosscroft Primary School in Huyton. We all went on a Bee Scene expedition around the school grounds to see how good the school grounds were for bees. Before we set off on our expedition, we asked the children if they thought their school was good for bees or not. Most children said their school wasn’t good for bees as there were no flowers for the bees to feed on. We set off on our expedition and explored every nook and cranny there was, getting on our knees and crawling through the grass. After our expedition we discovered the school may be a very good area for bees. Six of the bee scene flowers were growing in the school grounds and we discovered 6 other wild flowers that were not on the list. We even found some wild strawberries growing with fruit on! We also saw 10 Bees and 7 Ladybirds down amongst the undergrowth. We were all surprised how good Mosscroft Primary school was for Bees.

We will be continuing our offer to schools next academic year and any schools in Merseyside wishing to know more should contact Kate.

Find out more about Bee Scene wildflowers



The first Bee Scene newsletter was mailed out today reporting on some of the successes of the survey season so far. We have also included some more information about three of our Bee Scene flowers that have traditional uses in England. We would welcome your news and photos for our next newsletter, or even your expedition reports. Please mail any contributions to Felicity.

A new breed of botanist

'A very interesting course that was hands on - good balance between classroom and outdoors'. With spring having sprung now is the time to get out and explore the wonderful wild plants that surround us. And what better way to build your knowledge and meet others then through one of the many Plant Identification workshops that the Wild About Plants team are running this year. 'I have been on other plant ID courses and always left feeling overwhelmed and incompetent - not today though! I really liked the bite sized approach and it was so refreshing to hear the experts discussing the identity of plants' said a participant who attended a recent course at the Natural History Museum. To find out how you can join us at one of our events click here

The sunny weather sets survey off in April

We are delighted to report that groups have already taken part in the Bee Scene survey and fed their results onto our interactive map. In spite of the colder start to the year there are many wildflowers about including primroses, herb robert, ground ivy and speedwell. Congratulations to West Earlham Infant School in Norfolk for being the first school in Eastern England to complete the survey. They win a copy of Fiona Danks and Jo Schofield’s excellent new book ‘Make it Wild! 101 Things to Make and Do Outdoors', which will be posted to them in October. Congratulations also to Oaksey Primary School in Wiltshire and Challock Primary School in Kent, winning the same book for the South West and South East of England regions respectively. To date, thirteen groups have completed the survey and we look forward to seeing many more results come in helping to build our virtual meadow.

Plant Some Memories

'seeing Foxglove and Lupins round the Railway tracks and listening to the Lupin seeds cracking','telling the time with Dandelion clocks and being convinced it was what ever time they said'. For many of us childhood is when we first experience nature, whether brushing our hands through long grass, lying on our tummies and watching ants scurrying along carrying bits of leaf or licking purple stained blackberry hands. Kate has been working with OPERA, an organisation based in Sefton, to unearth some of the guilty pleasures that many older members of our community hold in their memory larders. It seems that conkers were a favourite. One OPERA member recalled 'finding ways to get Conkers out of trees and different tactics to make them stronger such as soaking them in vinegar'. Another OPERA member has recollections of walking to the local Rocky Railway in Netherton to collect flowers with dad then taking them home to mum to put in a vase. Mothers were not the only recipients of posies teachers fared well too, with many having fond memories of taking bunches of flowers to teachers during the spring and summer months. Many people associated their wild plant memories with food, whether wild water cress from Sniggery Woods or blackberries from local hedgerows. A challenge seemd to be keeping blackberries in a jar on the train ride home! And how wonderful to hear that making a daisy chain garland to wear as a crown brought back memories of being a Princess. Plant Some Memory workshops will be continuing throughout the lifetime of the Wild About Plants project as the project team are hoping to collect many more cherished plant moments. We are particularly keen to here from members of the public who can recall collecting rose hips or blackberries as child in World War II. Please contact Felicity if you would like more information.

Poetry blossoms

Have you been inspired by nature?
The natural environment offers opportunities for us all to take a deep breath, feel calm and look more closely at the world on our doorstep. We were delighted to find this wonderful poem from Ted Smith-Orr a member of Poets Anonymous in our inbox the other day and hope that you will also enjoy it. Please do send in your contributions.

I love you angular nature that shows no kindness nor mercy to the timid or weak
Your spiteful beauty gives refuge to the small,yet one sting recoils a brave enquiry.

I love you carpet valleys, green and stained:secret tracks and lanes that twist and jump
then double back; laughing at their wit. Hills that strain and ache to meet their height.

I love you mysterious embankments, reflecting chalk ghosts in night mist.
The Silver Birch; glowing in the dark and dappled by day. Why did nature cheat one as elegant as you?

I love you hedgerows with frightened hair and arrogant trees that shed their clothes in defiance of winter.
The ignorant leaf that dances in headlights, pirouettes and dies.

I love you badger, red fox: how you forage and scamper ageless runs, regardless of the roads.
The furtive owl that fakes a passive role, surreptitious overhead

I love you rainwater; streaming and gushing,flowing down roads, washing all that precedes you.
How you shape your own channels and find your home.

I love you single dandelion; who breaks the concrete slab and reminds the non-believer,
you have persistence that we will never know

Bee Scene and the Big Wildlife Garden

Wild About Plants has joined forces with Natural England’s The Big Wildlife Garden. Why not discover how important wild flowers are for bees through Bee Scene and then help improve the environment for wild flowers and bees?

The Big Wildlife Garden is a fantastic way to turn your school grounds into a home for wildlife and inspire children to take a much greater interest in nature and the world around them. Registering your school is easy and you can then start earning points for everything you do to encourage wildlife to your grounds. Students will enjoy tracking their progress towards our Bronze, Silver, Gold and Green award levels. You can also share ideas and pictures with other members of the Garden, and keep your own online wildlife diary.

The Big Wildlife Garden also has partnerships with many other bodies involved in conservation and the environment, including the Eco Schools initiative, and they regularly post details of new activities and projects for students on their website, many of which are linked into the National Curriculum. You’ll find all you need to know at www.bwg.naturalengland.org.uk

Families enjoy spring

During the Easter holidays the Wild About Plants Team and project partners hosted family events up and down the country designed to inspire and enthuse people about the outdoors. At the National Wildflower Centre in Knowsley, Liverpool families learnt about spring wildflowers through sugar craft. In Wiltshire the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust ran family learning events that allowed families to discover how water travels through plants, paint pots and plant wildflower seeds. They also explored reserves to find wildflowers. At Goblin Combe Environment Centre families were delighted to be able to explore wildflowers of the woodlands. They foraged for edible treasures such as wild garlic and nettles and used their treasures to make tea and bread. They used natural materials to create beautiful woodland sculptures and got up close and personal with trees. Rachel Jones from Goblin Combe said Parents and children really enjoyed the opportunity to discover and explore the outdoors together. They particularly welcomed the opportunity to take part in challenging tasks together and grew more confident in a woodland setting .

First edition of Pioneer mailed out

The Wild About Plants team are delighted to have mailed out the February edition of Pioneer our quarterly e-learning bulletin. In it we explored the folklore surrounding the snowdrop, introduced lichens and discovered the differences between primrose and its' lookalikes. If you would like to subscribe to Pioneer then click here and enter your email address in the sign up box. The next edition is due out in May and will deal with ferns, dandelion and its' lookalikes and encourage you to find refreshment with the elderflower.

Over 250 packs sent out to schools

The Wild About Plants team were delighted to receive over 250 requests for Bee Scene packs from schools throughout England. The pack application forms suggested that, if all goes according to plan, there could be over 10, 000 school children taking part in the Bee Scene survey and helping plant a virtual meadow during 2010.

We are extremely grateful to all the organisations that helped publicise the survey to schools. Unfortunately we no longer have any printed packs to distribute. However, all the Bee Scene resources are online and we hope that more schools will be able to go on a Bee Scene expedition and plant their results on our virtual meadow in order that we can build up a picture of our biodiversity hot and not so hot spots.

Schools taking part in Bee Scene have a chance to win some great prizes!

Natural England is donating copies of Fiona Danks and Jo Schofield’s excellent new book ‘Make it Wild! 101 Things to Make and Do Outdoors’. We’ll be giving away one book to the first school in each region that upload their ‘flower’ onto the virtual meadow.

Schools that post their results by August will also be entered into a draw to win a Solitary Beehive, courtesy of Wildlife World, the UK’s leading manufacturer of unique and sustainable wildlife products. Providing a protective habitat for non-aggressive solitary bees, the Solitary Beehive is a fascinating and interactive product, perfect for use in school gardens. Wildlife World is also offering 10% off all first orders to schools that complete the survey and mention ‘Bee Scene 2010’ when ordering. The full product range can be seen at www.wildlifeworld.co.uk. To place an order, please call 01666 505333.

We’ll email you all the survey results and the prize winners in October.

Engaging nature workshops launched

Plantlife's Wild About Plants team have been running workshops for youth workers and teachers to support them access and enjoy local natural spaces with children and young people and discover the hidden wonders of our natural world. This workshop has given me the confidence to consider incorporating outdoor learning into my own practice. Before I thought it was just difficult and complex.

These workshops will continue throughout the year. For more information please contact Felicity.

Schools in Merseyside get Wild About Plants

Plantlife's project worker Kate has been out and about with primary schools in Merseyside this spring term. Kate, who is based at the National Wildflower Centre has welcomed 18 schools to the centre to take part in a range of Wild About Plant activities including going on expedition, discovering whether nettles are nasty or not and looking for planted treasures. She has also visited 7 schools taking the Wild About Plant learning programme with her. Just under 700 pupils will have had the opportunity to discover and explore the wonderful world of plants when schools break up at Easter and the programme will continue into the summer term. For more information please contact Kate.

Bee Scene Survey

Plantlife and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust are asking children to ‘Bee Scene’ in 2010 by taking part in a new survey designed especially for them. Primary school groups, youth groups or families can visit a local park, field or any other natural space to complete a simple survey of wild flowers. This will help the charities to know if there is enough pollen for local bees to thrive. Children across England can link their findings online by creating a virtual flower meadow.

The Bee Scene survey is simple and quick to complete and provides an easy way for children to become citizen scientists and contribute to monitoring the natural environment by spotting different types of wild flowers such as dandelions, red clover, thistles or campion. The survey should be carried out between April and August.

Recording the numbers of wild flowers and the different types present will help Plantlife and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust know whether local bees have enough sources of pollen for them to thrive. Bumblebees are vital for the health of our countryside, as many of our most colourful wild flowers and our food plants are pollinated by them, and some rely entirely on bees. The survey is supported by an education pack for teachers and educators with extra activities so they can lead a Bee Scene expedition in their local green space. The survey can be done in an hour or with the education pack could form a fieldwork or activity day or basis of a topic for investigation.

Once groups have completed the survey, schools are asked to feedback their survey results online where their results will help plant a virtual meadow across England.