I have always been a country girl, brought up climbing trees and making daisy chains, rearing lambs, and riding ponies, but until 2021, I can’t say that I ever really noticed what nature had to offer me and my mental health.
I was on holiday with my partner in Hayle, Cornwall, whilst I was in the middle of suffering a massive depressive break. My already poor mental health had been severely impacted by events at work, and I was completely broken and lost.
Sadly, I spent many hours sitting, vacantly staring into space with tears in my eyes, trying to see through the darkness. As the days went on, so did the sitting, and I started to notice the amazing array of wildflowers on show around me.
I started actively looking for more wildflowers to add to my list, and slowly, my mind was taken off the troubles, albeit for a fleeting time back then, and I began the journey I am on now.
I started an Instagram page to document the flowers I found, and it soon became a place for all my adventures and fabulous finds.
Further on in my journey, I would notice that some wildflowers were growing so beautifully in such vulnerable places that they should not have been able to survive, but they did, and they thrived there. One of the first lessons I took from nature.
How has it helped?
Well, Green spaces are known to have therapeutic and positive effects; their calming presence can alleviate stress and promote a sense of well-being. The colour Green’s calming effects can be seen in the use of green rooms where people wait before appearing on television shows, helping them relax, focus, and reduce anxiety. This practice is based on the belief that green surroundings can create a serene and focused atmosphere.
The idea of nature bathing is to sit in nature, allowing yourself to be calm and quiet amongst the trees, observing nature around you whilst breathing deeply.
As a fan of meditation, I found this an easy practice to get into, but I really wanted to know more about the nature that was soothing me so deeply.
Butterflies soon became one of my main focuses because of their obvious beauty and the way their fragility does not suppress them.
Another lesson learnt from nature because I often see butterflies with broken wings and faded colours still going strong, despite the cats they may have met or the birds that took a nibble.
Before, I could have told you about the Red admiral and the Cabbage white; honestly, they were the only ones I was aware of, but there are 59 species of butterfly that can be seen in the UK, and I am lucky enough to have seen and photographed 27 of these beautiful insects so far.
Some of my favourites include the Marbled white, the Peacock and the Ringlet. I will continue my quest to find all of them this year with a trip to the New Forest again, where I found two new species last year: the White admiral and the Silver-washed fritillary.
I am so grateful for the joy I felt when I saw the White admiral flutter down from the tree canopy and land in the brambles. Absolutely magical!
No butterflies? No problem! There are over 600 species of birds that can be seen in the UK, too, and at 111, I have barely scratched the surface.
I had no idea there were such birds as a Redstart, a Brambling, or a Garden warbler, but they are all new species I have seen this year.
I log all my bird sightings on Birda, and with the help of Merlin and the bird app, I can now identify some bird songs.
The New Forest is home to a few of my ‘shopping list’ birds, Hawfinches, Firecrests, Dartford warblers and the elusive Nuthatch.
Nuthatches are rare where I live, here in East Yorkshire, due to the vast amount of Arable farming and lack of woodland. I was lucky enough to hear one in North Yorkshire this year, yet I have had no sightings yet.
But again, the warm buzz I got when I heard one for the first time was amazing!
In autumn, through to spring when the nights are long and the days are wet and windy, nature keeps on giving with a bumper choice of super funky fungi out there to find. Dead man’s fingers, Candlesnuff, Wood Blewit, Scarlet elf cups and the Fly Agaric are amongst a few of my favourites.
There is lichen out there that looks like Shrek’s ears growing amongst carpets of dewy moss, there are wasps that look like bees and beetles that look like wasps, and there are bright red mushrooms that would not look out of place in Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland.
This is why I absolutely adore immersing myself in nature. Walking and listening to the birds, looking for flowers, mushrooms, and anything else that might catch my eye is a focused, mindful meditation that can take you to beautiful places to see wonderful things you may have never noticed before.
Nature is always open regardless of the weather, there are no queues or waiting lists, and it is 100% free, so please take a walk and see what you can find when you go looking for it.
Nature does not disappoint!
Sarah is a photographer, naturalist, and birder advocating nature for mental health and bringing the beauty of Yorkshire Wolds to your doorstep.
You can find her on Instagram, where she shares her hikes on @wildflowers_and_walks, or join her on a butterfly "hunt" on @wildflowers_and_butterflies.
Sarah also created a page solely dedicated to magnificent Yorkshire Wolds @myyorkshirewolds
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