3 ways to go wild in March
What a gorgeous end to an otherwise turbulent month. Down here in Bristol we didn’t really see much of the ‘Beast of the East v2.0’ other than cold temperatures, and then into a week of pouring rain following by something a little bit warmer and sunnier!
I remember being at school even 15 years ago and thinking “there’s always 1 day in April where it snows.” It’s really hard not to get too excited about the impending spring - and every day that the sun shines is a welcome one! I look forward to being able to sit down with just 1 friend - let alone 5 others - so if all goes well, March has a lot in store for us in the UK. So much in store on the nature front as well, so take as many mental health days as you can to bask in those rays and warmer temperatures, and read on for ways to insert a hit of nature into your life…
Foraging
Wild foraging is something that I am going to be encouraging people to do more and more. To enjoy the bounties that nature - while also honouring the foragers code of only taking what you need and leaving some for others.
Nettles grow across the continents and although I remember them for their annoying (and sometimes sadistically satisfying) stingers, they have been used for their medicinal properties for a very long time. In Cornwall they’ll make a nettle cheese, in Nepal they’ll use them in curries - the fresh shoots bring a unique earthy flavour to savoury dishes. They are high in vitamins A and C (among others) and contain calcium and protein and more. It’s often used for its anti inflammatory properties with kidney stones and UTIs as well.
The reason this is a ‘March’ thing to do is that springtime is when you want to pick them - before they flower and when new shoots are ripe for the picking. You will need to wear gloves when picking them (for obvious reasons) and then they need to wilt by either letting them dry out or washing them in hot water. The ‘stingers’ need to be erect to penetrate your skin, so through wilting them you then deactivate the stingers as well. Then you’ll have to boil them to completely destroy the acid that stings.
Nettle tea or a chilled drink is the most common way people consume nettles. They will probably taste quite ‘green’ (this is me-speak) and resemble spinach in many ways. But they can be used in the same way spinach is used in a multitude of recipes.
Here’s a list of recipes on the countryfile blog and here’s a few more on another website I found. Pesto seems to suit the earthy flavours that come with this vegetable and I have seen soup in restaurants but cake does intrigue me.
Great Crested Grebes and their mating ballet
I remember one year I was on a mission to try and capture this on camera, though I didn’t do a very good job of it. If you have a lake or a reservoir nearby though, I’d highly recommend heading there and keeping a lookout for these birds.
Their dance is a complex series of co-ordinated movements, from advancements by the one or the other, head-flicks and dives. The key part the dance is when both the male and the female have tufts of greenery in their beaks chest to chest and then paddle fast to remain as upright as possible.
Here’s a lovely video of it on the WWT youtube channel.
There is no nation bigger on birds than here in the UK. But bird watching is also a very divisive hobby - people who do it are obsessed, and those outside of it just don’t get it. I’m not saying everyone should become an ardent twitcher in the slightest. And I don’t consider myself an avid bird watcher either. But there is more magic on your doorstep than you think, if you only know where to look.
Have you own cherry blossom festival
The peak of this year’s cherry blossom festival in Japan is predicted to be on the 21st of March in Tokyo. Now, you might not be able to spend thousands of pounds to travel over and revel in their beauty with millions of others crammed into a small space, but you can still emulate the essence of the festival: to appreciate the fleeting beauty of nature as these delicate little flowers bloom for a week and then snow down on you - all to mark the start of spring and warmer days to come. From the 8th of March we will be allowed to legally sit with a coffee with one other person (and just maybe, if all things go right, from the 29th of March with 5 other people). So why not have a look at the weather forecast, get your picnic blanket out, go to your local park and sit beneath a cherry blossom tree with a beverage of your choice and just be happy.
Calendar
So, as a little announcement, I’ve created a free to download ‘3 ways to go wild’ calendar if you sign up to my mailing list. You can print it out and hang it up if you need some monthly inspiration to decide what sort of nature activities to plan in. I’m going to try and make one change every month in my blog posts, so that you essentially across both get an ADDITIONAL ways to go wild tip. Yes, I am that generous. Nah, to be fair, I just want you to go outside and get a little wild.
And as a sneak peak, my different 3rd suggestion on the calendar is actually an Easter one - Easter this year being on the 1st of April. Try to have an outdoor egg hunt this year. Can be in the form of chocolate, or go out for a walk and see how many nests you can spot on your travels. Nesting season is very soon truly upon us!
As ever, happy wild-ing!
Ester
Meet Ester
Wildlife camerawoman by day, jewellery designer by night, with a heap of crafting in the middle. Bristol-based but longing for a wilder setting.
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