Increasing numbers of urban dwellers has led to many of us feeling alienated from the natural world. This is not how we are meant to live, and we don’t have to. Even in the most built-up environment, nature makes its presence felt. All we have to do is let it in.
This book offers 50 invigorating activities and step-by-step projects to do exactly that, for anyone craving a connection with the natural world, but especially those living in cities and towns with limited daily access to it.
Green refuges and outdoor spaces are more important now than ever – a break from our stressful, tech-consumed lives. It is well researched that being in nature radically improves our mental health, just minutes from your doorstep. Nature is waiting for us to discover it, even in the most urban environment. Go on a night safari, make a worm farm or create a one-pot allotment. With 200 smart illustrations, this practical and accessible guide will expand your horizons and increase your appreciation of wild spaces, whether on the street, in the park, or in nearby nature reserves.
Chapters include:
Be an Urban Naturalist: Go on a night safari, appreciate winter trees, spot moths or build a weathervane
Engage with the Elements: Wild swimming, mudlarking, barefoot walking and creating art with found natural objects
Look to the Skies: Cloudspotting, the dawn chorus and looking for murmurations
Make Space for Nature: Building for biodiversity, make a worm farm, green up all your space
Dig for Victory: Grow microgreens or create a one-pot allotment
Find Your Wild Tribe: Join a community garden, adopt a street tree or take a city hike
About the Author :
Clare Gogerty is an author, journalist and award winning editor, working for Coast magazine for six years. She now lives in the countryside, where she writes books, works as a freelance journalist and runs a smallholding including sheep and chickens. Clare also writes travel and lifestyle journalism for the Guardian, Conde Nast Traveller and Homes & Antiques. Her previous titles include Book of the Coast (National Trust), Hidden Villages of Britain (Batsford) and Beyond the Footpath (Piatkus).
Maria Nilsson is a freelance illustrator based in London. Her illustrations are heavily influenced by the natural world, exploring various tactile qualities of colour, pattern and texture. She is the illustrator behind 50 Things to Do with a Penknife, 40 Knots and How to Tie Them, 50 Things to See in the Sky, 50 Things to Do in the Wild and 50 Things to Do by the Sea.
