Planting blossom trees

We are approaching blossom season! 🌸🌸🌸

To boost the amount of blossom trees in the UK, the National Trust is pledging to plant hundreds of blossom trees at different sites including London, Nottingham, Newcastle and Plymouth.  These will include varieties such as cherry, hazel and plum which all give beautiful pink flowers in the spring.  The project is hoping to boost nature in these areas where there is currently not much access to green space and to give people a closer connection to the natural world. 

The inspiration for this has come from Japan where each spring they have "Hanami" - the celebration of flowers at the arrival of spring.  Trees are in bloom everywhere you look and it creates quite a spectacle which people travel from far and wide to see.  By boosting the number of trees (particularly blossoming trees) it is hoped that it will create a similar spectacle in the UK and draw people's attention to the beauty of nature.  Many populations live in 'grey deserts' in the UK where there are large areas of no trees or green space, and this can have an impact on people's mental health, and their appreciation and respect for the natural world.  

Blossom is also plays an important in supporting ecosystems.  An abundance of pollen increases the number of pollinating insects such as bees, wasps, beetles and flies.  These in turn feed birds in the local area who can further spread pollen and seeds.  When looked at together, these behaviours all help to make a richer environment that can support a more diverse wealth of wildlife.  

Why not think about planting some blossoming trees in your garden or school?  The sight of blossoming trees can spark interest in young children and help them to understand the life cycle of trees and the seasons. You could even incorporate these events in to lessons, and do some research into places like Japan who have amazing blossom events every year!

To find out more, visit the BBC to learn about the blossom planting project; or kiddle to find out more about Japan's seasonal blossoming 🌸🌸🌸

Walk to school this spring

Although many of us are still in lockdown, it seems as though the return to normality is not far off now and schools will be one of the first places to get back up and running. Many children have still been attending school every day of course if they have learning needs or are children of key workers, but the return of all children will bring back the busyness of the school run and the increase in traffic that inevitably accompanies it.

With the restrictions of lockdown, lots of families have recently turned to walking as a shared activity and a chance to escape the confines of the house together!  I'm sure there are lots of people who previously would never have considered themselves a walker that because of lockdown have now embraced getting their boots on and striding out the front door on a regular (if not daily!) basis.

When lockdown lifts, why not consider incorporating this new found love of walking into your daily routine?  With spring around the corner and mornings and evenings already feeling lighter and warmer than before, the walk to school could become an enjoyable part of the day where you walk as you talk and digest the day's events together.  

Walking brings a whole host of benefits including improving circulation, strengthening bones, boosting your mental health, and creating a better connection with nature.  At this time of year, there are so many little changes to notice around you and each week there will be something new to see from the early spring crocuses and snowdrops to the slightly later daffodils to tulips. 

It needn't be every day, but even choosing perhaps once a week to walk to and from school will bring benefits.  You could even pick your day dependent on how good the weather is going to be!  Combine with other families to take it in turns to walk and collect children.  Some schools even have walking buses where children can join the line as it goes by their house.  Park & Stride is another initiative where if you must drive, park a little further away than you absolutely need to and walk the rest of the way to get some exercise and fresh air.  

For more information about how to teach your child to be road safe, visit think.gov.uk for more ideas and resources  

The meaning of roses

There are an abundance of roses in the shops at the moment in readiness for Valentines Day, but since when were roses a symbol for love and why are roses important?

Here are some rose facts for you:

🌹There are hundreds of different types of roses including ones that grow in bushes, on the ground, or climbing walls and fences

🌹Roses come in many different colours including red, white, pink, coral, white and peach, each one with a different meaning

🌹Roses are known for their gentle floral scent and have long been included in perfumes and confectionery 

🌹Roses are one of the oldest flowers and fossils of roses have been found from 35 million years ago

🌹Flowers have long been given as a gift to show love, and roses are particularly linked to Venus/Aphrodite who was the goddess of love in Roman/Greek times

Roses are a beautiful flower to have in the garden at any time of year and there are so many different types to choose from.  They are known for enhancing biodiversity and insects thrive on the pollen they produce.  Rose hips provide an important source of food for birds in autumn and winter, and rose bushes can make an ideal nesting place for birds and give shelter to smaller mammals. 

If you want to grow a rose in your garden, visit a rose specialist or ask someone for advice in a local garden centre.  The type of rose that may grow best may depend on your garden and how much shade or sunlight it will have.  Roses are fairly hardy plants though and with the right care and attention to pruning, they will be sure to give you an abundance of flowers all summer long 🌹

To find out more, visit the RHS's guide to growing roses.

Counting the stars

The Countryside Charity Star Count 2021 ✨

The Countryside Charity is asking people this week to get outside and count the number of stars they can see!  The survey of light pollution last year revealed that the majority of the country are living with a significant amount of light pollution which is obscuring the beauty of the night sky and preventing people from seeing stars.  The charity now wants to find out if lockdown is having an impact on the amount of light being emitted and potentially might be enabling people to see more stars than before. 

There are thought to be several benefits of a darker night sky including improved health & wellbeing, protection of wildlife, and a better connection with nature.  The night sky is not something we often focus on unless there is an unusual astronomical event happening, but it is obviously there all the time and taking a moment to appreciate its beauty can bring about a sense of calm and wonder.  

The CPRE believe that dark and starry skies are a special part of our countryside, but that buildings and streetlights affect our view of truly dark skies.  They want to ensure that everyone has a right to view a starlit sky, and to do this they want to find out exactly what different people are seeing in different parts of the country.  By collecting data, they can map out where star-spotters are seeing the darkest skies and the most stars, and they can them work with councils to decide what to do about the areas with the most light pollution.

To take part, choose a night between 6th - 14th February when the sky is clear and free of clouds.  Find the constellation known as 'Orion' (see the website link here for more info) and count how many stars you can see inside it.  Submit your results to the CPRE website and then check back to see what the results show!

Happy Stargazing!  ✨