Hello, its Jenny from the Frome Wild Bunch here. I have started to notice that the daylight hours are increasing in length, which feels good to me. I am also noticing the birds are singing, Snowdrops and crocuses are popping up and bringing a smile to my face. I think Spring is in the air, don’t you? It does feel as if it is early this year, however, nature is responding to the increased levels of light and if by magic things are happening. I love this time of year: I can see change in nature as I go about my daily life.
The Frome Wild Bunch have had two meetings so far this year. One meeting discussed the State of Nature Report that was released in September last year. This report shows that climate change is one of the biggest drivers of the loss of nature across the UK. The other meeting looked at what we can do as a group in Frome this year, where our energy could be best spent to engage and find the best way forward.
As always, we encourage others to join us to work towards increasing biodiversity in our area. Do you have ideas, energy, enthusiasm to bring to this group? We have monthly gatherings open to anyone who is interested in gardening with wildlife in mind, gardening for wildlife. In our gardens, shared public spaces: anywhere nature can have a look in.
The idea is that if we are able to turn these places into wildlife-friendly spaces, it could create wildlife havens across Frome. The statistics state that there are over 430,000 hectares of gardens in the UK, that’s bigger than our national parks! This is where we are looking at supporting wildlife to help to make a difference.
For some of us, the idea of nature is shaped by the media, which can be misleading. It could make us think that wildlife can only be observed by experts, in certain areas, or that it takes money to get there. I would argue that wildlife is all around us. It just needs some help to survive, habitats to live in and for us to observe. There is a mapping project in Frome and if you look at iNauralist you will see how many sightings there have been of wildlife in and around Frome.
As Spring shows itself in your area, it’s an opportunity to observe its development in your local park, window box, garden or on your walks. It’s available to us all, so let’s celebrate nature, support it and help encourage it in our area.
If you would like to join the Frome Wild Bunch, to bring ideas, energy, share ways to encourage wildlife in our natural spaces, or subscribe to our newsletter, just email fromewildbunch@gmail.com or look at Frome Town Council Facebook events for details of Wild Bunch meetings.
