30 Days Wild 2022 – Day 2 – Circular Economy

Today I am writing about something a bit different on 30 Days Wild. It is an important mindset to adopt as it can help to protect the environment around us and help protect our planet and wildlife.

We consume a lot of raw materials that in eth end become waste and over our lifetimes we will consume a lot of resources! Times that by the number of people in the world and the result is staggering. We have typically lived in a linear economy where we consume, produce and then waste resources.

The circular economy is looking to rectify this by repairing, reusing, recycle or repurposing things before we put them to waste.

The diagram below shows the concept of a circular economy.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Circular_Economy_concept.png

There are lots of papers, videos and discussions on how the circular economy can help us and lot of points to cover that it would be a very big blog post to write about it all. Instead I encourage you to do a google or other search engine search on Circular Economy and see how you can do your bit.

There will always be some level of waste, but our ability to reduce this is in each of us to enact.

Some considerations for you to think about:

Next time you are about to bin something, consider if it could be reused in a different way.
Before you buy anything, consider the waste and how that can be recycled or reused afterwards.
Is the packaging you have on an item biodegradable.

30 Days Wild 2021 – Day 30 – Leave No Trace

I’m going to end this years 30 Days Wild on a topic that everyone should be concerned about. Okay, so not quite a nature post, put quite an impact on nature. Litter/Trash/Rubbish, what every you call it. According to the Keep Britain Tidy campaign around 2 million pieces of litter are dropped every day.

It does not take much for people to pick up your litter and dispose of it responsibly.

Adopting the principals of Leave No Trace can help to keep our impact minimal when out and about.

Remember “Take only memories and photos and only leave footprints”.

30 Days Wild 2021 – Day 29 – Ferns

Ferns (Pteridological) have been around a very long time in terms of the history of the earth, around 360 million years ago.

The Victorians had a craze for Ferns adding then to many gardens and features, also creating large Fernery’s in which to display them.

Ferns are part of the UK’s landscape from Coastal to Woodlands and host a variety of species. They provide cover for animals and homes for others, big and small.

The British Pteridological Society have an excellent Fern Guide PDF that you can download to help identify species. Covers:

Hart’s tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium)
Hard fern (Blechnum spicant)
Common polypody (Polypodium vulgare)
Male fern (Dryopteris filix-mas)
Golden-scaled Male-fern (Dryopteris affinis)
Soft shield fern (Polystichum setiferum)
Lemon-scented mountain fern (Oreopteris limbosperma)
Lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina)
Broad buckler-fern (Dryopteris dilatata)
Hay-scented buckler-fern (Dryopteris aemula)
Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum)
Oak fern (Gymnocarpium dryopteris)
Beech fern (Phegopteris connectilis)
Maidenhair spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes)
Wall-rue (Asplenium ruta-muraria)
Black spleenwort (Asplenium adiantum-nigrum)
Rusty-back fern (Asplenium ceterach)

Additional Reading

30 Days Wild 2021 – Day 28 – Nature Walk – Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle (Lonicera aaaa) insert name where aaaa equals one of around 180 species is another plant that you can find in both gardens and hedgerows.

The Honeysuckle is both a hardy climber and a shrub with scented flowers that attract a myriad of insects, butterflies and bees to feast on the nectar. In the autumn the flowers change to bright red berries that birds feed on helping to spread its seeds.

There are many different flowers colours, but the one that I normally come across is the pink and cream flowers that are shown in the pictures.

Honeysuckle flowers can be used to make a sweetly scented tea, however the berries are poisonous so stay away from them. Do your research first of course on how to make the tea and forage sensibly and within the law.

30 Days Wild 2021 – Day 27 – Nature Walk – Ivy

Ivy is one of those plants that makes its home where it wants to and grows along the ground or up trees and structures.

Its tendrils sprout roots every so often that take old in wood or brick and help anchor the plant to its position, so it can continue its journey upwards or outwards.

It can transform a building into looking idyllic with a green covering over the bricks or add a green foliage to the trunk of a tree and make it look green throughout the seasons. Underneath though the Ivy is slowly sucking moisture out of the wood and bricks making it dry, soft and brittle.

Several varieties of Ivy have been classed as an invasive species due to their spread and damage.

In the right places Ivy can look good, but in the wrong places it can cause untold damage.

Ivy belongs to the genus Hedera and there are many species across the world.

Ivy has some good uses such as a cordage when the vines are soft and supple. It can also be used to weave baskets.

Certain Ivy’s have been shown to have medicinal properties and have anti-inflammatory properties.

Ivy is also associated with Christmas and is often a component of wreaths and other festive decorations.

In some countries though certain species of Ivy is poisonous and should only be handled in the correct method and wearing protective equipment.