Day 5 of #30DaysWild has been very autumnal – wet, windy,
cold and grey. I went up to one of my favourite haunts, the Lickey Hills (I
like to loiter), and I saw a small wet bumblebee holding tightly onto a comfrey
leaf, just outside the Visitor Centre. I put my finger in front of it and it
crawled on board, not even bothering to wave its legs to try and scare me off,
and then I put it on the hands of one of the Rangers so that she could cuddle
it and share bodyheat to warm it up. A bee needs to be 30˚C on the inside for
its wing muscles to work properly, so if you find a cold and wet bee clinging
onto a plant, get it onto your hand (gently!) and let it warm up. It’ll start
to move its wings and walk around more. They don’t always need sugar water but
it’s a good idea to offer some.
Every June the Wildlife Trusts run a campaign called 30 Days Wild. This is my second year taking part, and the idea is to encourage wildness, exploration and an involvement with the natural world. The daily things can be anything, from walking barefoot, to doing outdoor yoga, or growing veg to hunting out woodlice under a stone. Little things that help you reconnect with nature! Random Acts of Wildness are also fully encouraged.
