Updated: Jul 18, 2023
There are so many books out there on wildlife, nature, plants and much more. They are fascinating, interesting and teach you so much of the natural world. I have always been a poor reader, something I am trying to actively change in my life to better my knowledge and enjoy a new hobby. Well I would defiantly say this has recently been working and I have a newfound love for reading. As you are aware, I am incredibly interested in nature, wildlife and doing things sustainable and being an eco-friendly individual. To inspire me with this I have been focusing on books about nature and our incredible world. Therefore, these are my top 5 nature books of 2022 that I have read, reviewed and which have changed my thinking or enlightened my life that I am recommending to you.
This is the first book I have picked up in my new quest to absorb written knowledge and I can tell you it is a great place to start. All I can say is, wow, there is so much to learn just about our forests and woods.. This book will teach you so much and an incredible amount you never thought would be related to trees. It is written by Peter Wohlleben, who is a German forester who has observed these woods, trees and forests his entire life. In this incredible fascinating book he teaches how tree help each other, migrate and communicate to each other in incredible and newly discovered ways. He goes into great depth of all the organisms that share the forests and how they help each other to thrive in the ‘survival of the fittest’ natural world.
It is clear that trees are immensely responsive to their environment and are social creatures that are vital to our survival. It is also clear that there is so much more to the little local woods to the major forests than you would have first thought. I believe there are two reasons this book fascinated me soo much. Firstly, I love nature and trees specifically, as they come in a huge array of sizes and shapes and just look incredible. Secondly, trees are hugely important to our survival and that of many, many animals, so deserve our admiration for this fact alone. If you want to learn more about the mystic woods, you use play in then I would defiantly recommend this book.
I have seen this book being recommend very highly for anyone looking to connect with nature. I will also be the first to say that this book does not disappoint. Written by Isabella Tree who along with the conservationist husband, Charlie Burrell transforms their farm from a struggling estate in Knepp to a thriving wildlife and nature haven. Along the way, as Isabella and her husband learn more about the ecology, she teaches this to us through the book, raising our awareness of the fragile habitats we and our wildlife lives in. This fascinating book goes through the impact of the farmland and the impact of the war through ‘dig for victory’. Alongside, the dependence on pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers. The book is an intriguing story of the farming industry and environment collapse in the UK and how Knepp is pulling themselves out of this by giving control of their land over to nature and its wildlife. I love how it delves into history and science relating it to nature and detailing how through the discoveries at the Knepp estate is changing the way we currently or up recently thought of our wildlife and the history of England's natural history.
Although I don’t agree with everything in the book and what they are doing at Knepp, it is a new perspective on rewilding and the history of our nature and ecology is refreshing and incredible intriguing. The book is thought provoking, changing how we farm, revitalise the soils and our entire ecosystem, which in turn improves our land increasing our food yields. If you read this book it will surely give you inspiration for the future of our farmlands and highlighting the huge importance for us to take note of the work done at Knepp. The only thing that bugs me is that I wish I could inherit a farm or a decent plot of land and follow in their footsteps, perhaps one day...
The magnificent snow leopard is my partners favourite animal. Easily understandable due to it being an isolated mysterious creature with a beyond elegant appearance. Due to this and it’s incredible rareness the snow leopard has become a fascinating most precious gem for people to find. Well this is what Peter Matthiessen does whilst assisting a friend on an exhibition to the Himalayas. He looks for the snow leopard with the same idealistic idea of hunting one down in one of the worlds most secluded places just to grasp a glimpse of its unrivalled magnificent, even if for just a few seconds.
The book mixes the sense of adventure, travel, both the highlights and the gruelling aspects with the spiritual awakening, self-reflection and desire to understand the world and personal enlightenment. Throughout the book he describes the incredible scenic views he witnesses along the extended trek to find mountain goats. All the while seeming to be so close, yet so far from the magnificent snow leopard. The journey takes them through picturesque scenes, as well to ancient temples, meeting mystic people and making friends, essentially everything you would want from an adventure.
The book is a leading inspiration for numerous naturalists, spiritualists and adventures alike. As well as a well written book that even helps with accepting failure through realising the incredible wonders and experience you can have. It is a book that makes you yearn for adventure, nature, wildlife and unrivalled scenes of beauty and is likely to ignite passion in anyone reading it to do the same.
Now the books I have read so far has made me want to run in the fields, explore the ancient forests, and go on a mountain adventure. However, one thing was missing, the water. I have always loved bodies of water in any form, the sea, lakes, rivers or ponds. Therefore, I picked up this book which dives into the heart of the English countryside stable of the humble pond.
John Lewis-Stempel goes through the daily running at his farm and his frequent encounters with the pond there, another he visits in France, as well as a handful of others on his travels throughout a year across each season (Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn). As previously, I don’t agree with everything he does. However, I love his enthusiasm for the ponds he comes across that seem to give him a welcome escape from life. His interactions with these quintessential ponds makes me want to find one of my very own to enjoy. His use of words really manages to capture the essence of ponds, the feelings, the smells that bring back memories of my childhood adventures.
He also adds much to his book, through helping to identify what to look for and what you might be able to see, as well as what makes ponds so important. He takes this further through further detailing the history of ponds, how they were used, maintained and are a huge part of our heritage. The books gives you a great glimpse at ponds and all the life surrounding them, whilst also providing a number of poems to further create the countryside atmosphere. Ponds are clearly a strong beating heart to British wildlife. Even at the end John Lewis-Stempel goes into how to create a number of different ponds, plant them, maintain them and enjoy them, whilst also going into depth of how you can add features to further help wildlife to flourish. A great unique book.
Now, I don’t know anyone who has not seen at least one documentary of David Attenborough’s. Also, whilst watching it not feel as though the cinematography had taken you to another world alongside the information and artistic language David Attenborough strings out helping to inform and intrigue you further into these varying worlds. Well the great Sir David Attenborough has brought this to the written word in this book, which just by his name alone should be enough of a recommendation, however, if not you should definitely pick this up and you will enjoy nature more and be even more informed about it.
This book goes through amazing aspects of the earth and the incredibly varying environments that are all unique, incredible and hold simply amazing creatures throughout our planet. The book beautifully brings these biomes from across the earth to life in perfect snapshots, detailing what it is like there and the animals that compete to live in these places. The more you get into it the more it will amaze you the different realms that exist right now, all while being informational and interesting. Would probably say it has been my most enjoyed book out of the 5 and one you should quickly snap up.
Conclusions
I would defiantly say that last year I have a newfound love for reading. I would say I am incredibly impressed with these first few books I have picked up and they have done so much to inspire me to keep reading and learning more about our natural world. They have taught me so much about the world we live in and the animals we share it with. Reading these books always brings new life in my fascination and amazement of nature and its wildlife and I would recommend each one of them to anyone who has the same interests and passions. Let me know what you think of these books and tell me what nature books you would recommend.
Updated: Jul 18, 2023
Now, I am sure you know I love plants, nature, wildlife and I have always seen the amazing landmark of the domes of the Eden Project in pictures and wanted to visit them. Well on a family holiday or staycation due to the pandemic my family hired a cottage in Devon, only a stones throw away from The Eden Project from my current approximate 6+ hour journey. Well as this is a blog about nature and wildlife and the Eden Project is a place for this I thought I would detail a bit more about The Eden Project and my experience visiting the site in Cornwall. So here is my Eden Project review.
If you want the very brief overview, I would say the Eden Project is a plant lover’s dream, that I would highly recommend a visit for anyone who want to reconnect with nature, see some amazing plants or just wants a pleasant day out.
Who is Eden Project?
Eden Project is a visitor attraction in Cornwall, England within an ex-clay pit that was repurposed to give it life with the diverse plants and wildlife we see today. This idea became a reality and also created the charity it is today, which has the aim of exploring the interconnections between all living things. They also have several other goals include connection people with the natural world, celebrating plants and nature, working to regenerate damages landscapes, recognising the planetary emergency and need to protect the Earth.
The Eden Project has many goals that align with mine including; Implementing a creative and cultural place to provoke, captivate and inspire and undertake works on regenerative sustainability making thing better for the environment, society and economically.
Eden Project have also gone international and have site across the UK and in Australia, China, Cost Rica, New Zealand and USA. I was lucky to get a glimpse of some of the other sites from the pictures and 3D mock ups that were on show in the café between the biomes. The Eden Project has the motto of reconnecting people with nature with the additional goals to protect, preserve and encouraging it. So if you like the sound of this check out one of the ones that is closes to you and I am sure you wont be disappointed.
Cornwall Eden Project
A famous landmark of the UK is the famous Eden Project located in Cornwall. Alongside the massive ex-quarry regeneration into a nature hotspot sits several structures, predominantly consisting of the two famous domes, the rainforest biome and Mediterranean biome. There is also several other elements including the Outdoor Gardens, Invisible Worlds Exhibition, numerous sculptures and more.
At first I was slightly concerned it was going to be like another luxury garden, which has many of its plants ripped out and replaced to create a pristine view. However, I can assure you this was not the case To me it appeared that the majority of the plants had been there for years to grow and develop, which was especially the case within the rainforest biome dome. To quickly summarise my experience at the Eden Project definitely rekindled my love for nature and is a must for anyone who want to get expired by earth.
Outdoor Gardens
Before we even got through the front gate, walking down from the carpark, above the quarry, through the mounds among the paths the banks had been planted with numerous trees, bushes and flowers, alongside some beautifully painted beehives. It was great to see large hives flourishing, which I am sure also help the plants through the hard pollinating efforts of the bees. This helped clarifying that the Eden Project is not another manicured garden but a place for nature and wildlife to thrive.
Once we got inside and a quick tea break, we began the walk high up in the quarry with stunning views of the biomes, which I am incredibly eager to get into. The route started high up in the ex-quarry with these parts being filled with trees, bushes, flower, dry stone walls, moss and more. It was clear the Eden Project had given sections of this land back to nature, allowing the local wildlife to flourish. It even gave me ideas of what I could do in my garden, such as making a living gazebo, as seen below.
Along the way we experienced numerous sculptures connecting man-made life with nature creating beautiful art to further peoples enjoyment of their trip here. Down among the buildings a much more manicured section of the ex-quarry still highlighted some amazing plants and even a small agricultural section showing the numerous crops grown throughout the world. Nearer the biomes there is also additional features from garden arches covered in plants to a manmade water stream that were also home to further wildlife such as the frog we saw floating within it.
Rainforest Biomes
This was defiantly the highlight for me, it was full of the most exotic and beautiful plants, huge lushes green leaves, massive trees, waterfalls and wildlife that I feel would make most want to see the exotic lands these plants come from. Meandering through the biome weaving around the streams, small waterfalls, ponds (pools) there were millions of plants to see. I must have took about 500+ pictures of the plants, flowers, leaves only a fraction on here (more on my Instagram).
There was also quite a bit of wildlife to see. Throughout the trail was a few birds flying about but more interestingly the long ant trails lining up the trees. There were also some quirky looking birds with what I can only describe as having ‘wild’ hair lurking around the trees pecking at I assume the numerous insect in the undergrowth. The massive waterfall was also incredibly impressible and trickled down in streams, smaller waterfalls that swell into small bodies of water surrounded by more plants. The biome was also full of information about the impacts we are having on the planet, as well as crops grown in more tropical climates. Stunning and information.
Mediterranean Biome
Off into the Mediterranean Biome, which was nowhere near the size of the previous Rainforest Biomes but definitely captured the essence of the Mediterranean. From the carefully selected plants, cacti, deeply aged olive trees to the beautiful tiled floors, crisp white walls taking me back to my holiday across the seas. Throughout the biome they had install authentic tiled floors, gravelled surfaced to some of the planted areas, clay pots to further create the humid atmosphere.
There was some incredibly bright coloured flowers throughout the biome, which contrasted beautifully with the pure white walls. It was nice to see the different type of plants you get in a completely different atmosphere. Inside the biome there was a huge sculpture art piece at the centre, which was incredibly stunning. It also housed an Mediterranean café to allow you enjoy the dome for longer.
Why write about it?
Well if you love houseplants or like to see nature that you are unlikely to see without travelling across the globe I wanted to provide a great recommendation to any UK residence or even those visiting. It is an incredible place that has rehabilitated a scar in the landscape to a nature haven for wildlife to thrive and for people to reconnect with. This blog is about sustainability and helping the planet heal and for wildlife flourish, whilst enjoying some incredible plants, which fits with what the Eden Project is all about. Personally, I couldn't recommend it more, go in the spring and summer to further enjoy all the gardens in bloom and I am sure you will not regret it.
Updated: Dec 12, 2021
This was my second year in my own house allowing me to grow anything I want in the space I have, which is quite limited. I wanted to start of easy due to still sorting out bits, moving into the house and getting everything set up that has taken a long time. However, I still grew a fair bit for my little garden. I have always wanted to grow a number of unique plants, as well as my own fruit and veg to eat. However, I still have much to learn, so I am trying out new thing and love sharing my progress with you. So here is all the fruit, veg, herbs and other plants I grew, ate and enjoyed caring for in 2020.
Food:
One of my main goals throughout the year was to grow as much edible food, as possible. I have always loved the idea of being somewhat self-sufficient and although I will not be anywhere near that with the size of my garden I still hope to grow some delicious fruit and vegetable to eat and learn what works for the future, so this is what I have decided to grow:
Strawberries:
This is a sweet summer favourite of nearly anyone in the UK. I thought I would start with a few of these sweet treats in one of my hanging baskets. I have three different types of strawberries two British and one French to see how they grown and if there is much difference. They all did well but the British variety defiantly faired better, I assume due to the fact it climatises better to our weather.
Carrots:
Although I did not have a full sized planter, I did manage to get my hands on three small troughs that I planted two rows of carrots. I created a mix of soil and sand, so the carrots could grow easier and watered regularly. As they sprouted and gotten larger I have thinned them out by repotting them into the third planter. We got a decent number of carrots from this but I believe the planters were too small to allow the carrots to properly grow.
Tomatoes:
Tomatoes are the quintessential gardener food of choice and the first point of call for anyone wanting to grow some veg.. They are easy to grow, incredibly rewarding and can produce a huge amount of food, I have three tomato plants in a single grow bag with a bamboo support frame, with garden twine between them to support the heavy fruitful tomato growths. One thing I have learnt was not to forget watering them, seeing these plant droop so low like a sulking child is saddening, so it is a every evening job and sometimes in the morning too.
Potatoes:
I wanted to grow potatoes, as I believe they would give the highest return in nutritious value and volume. It is also one of the most versatile vegetables that can be used for a number of things on your dinner plate. I have a small garden but still wanted to get as much out of it as I can, so seeing these grow bags in my local garden centre and quickly berried a sprouting potato. The amount of foliage this plant sprawls out is outstanding and really indicates a large return.
Herbs:
Additionally, I am growing a number of herbs that can be added to loads of dishes and be used to feed my rabbits. I have some outside permanently and the others growing in the windowsill. They are useful and provide a great aroma whenever I walk by them. I don’t do much to upkeep them, just keep them watered and occasionally pull out any weeds that manage to join my herbs. Here are the herbs I am growing this year
Indoors I am growing:
· Basil
· Oregano
· Thyme
Outdoors I am growing:
· Thyme
· Parsley
· Mint
· Sage
Flower:
My main goal, whilst trying to make my garden look nice and colourful was to help the bees and other pollinators, so I tried to ensure the plants I picked benefited them and their efforts to collect nectar and pollen. I won’t mention all the flowers growing in my garden, you can look at some of these through scowering my social media. However, some of the key flowers I grew are:
Clematis – It came with the garden when we brought it and it comes up beautifully with more than three dozen flowers each year. All I have to do is provide a little wire for it to climb up and keep it well watered.
Dahlia – After seeing these in a number of gardens I was keen to have them in mine. I have been told these are difficult to grow, especially in pots, so I decided to give them a try, although I did get it to grow unfortunately it wasn’t the grand Dahlia I was hoping for.
Senetti – Me and my partner saw a beautiful bunch of purple Senetti at the garden centre and could not leave it there. After picking it up we put it in a larger pot and left it to its own devises. It was clearly a good choice as the bees seemed to love them.
Roses – We have a couple of rose bushes at the back of my garden, again, I don’t have to do much other than water them regularly and ensure my rabbits don’t try to eat them. However, each year they flower nicely for the local insects to enjoy.
House Plants:
As mentioned above this is my first year in my own house and I am trying to grow as many things as possible. This is because I enjoy the site of them and think they are incredibly beneficial for the environment and my household. They provide tremendous benefits mentally, cleaning the air and a tool to learn from in one of my bid to grow a nice collections of plants. I won't be able to name them all but some of the ones I got this year:
· Pilea Peperomioides
· Snake Plant
· Fairy Washboard (Haworthiopsis Limifolia)
· Dracena Fragrans
· Calathea
· A couple of cactuses & succulents (sorry, I don’t know their names)
For Fun:
Further to the above, I also thought it would be a bit of fun to have a little competition between myself ad my partner. So on top of everything we decided to grow some sunflowers. We picked up a giant variety to see how well we could do and who would come on top. We had a lot of fun watering our own plant, carefully putting them into larger pots to see who would get the largest one. It is also a great flower for the wildlife, we saw tons of bees on them and when they had finished growing you can either use the seeds for yourself or leave the heads out for the birds.
Finally
My garden is quite small and I am still learning a lot about growing both indoors and out. However, I am still managing to grow a lot and having a lot of fun doing so. I hope to continue to grow more and learn about how best to grow them and when. I already feel like I have become more akin to gardening and growing food, which I hope to develop to increase my return in the food I grow year on year. I also hope to grow more flowers and other plants in my garden to make it look nice but to also help the hopefully growing wildlife in my backyard. I am just starting my journey into gardening and growing my own food but I hope to learn plenty and develop my skills for the future. I would love to hear what you are growing this year, so let me know in the comments or by tagging me in your pictures on Instagram, twitter or Facebook.
