Counting weeds
There’s an old footpath near our office in Farnborough that runs behind Asda and B&Q. I was looking for ‘an Act of Wildness’ at lunchtime so I headed onto this urban footpath in search of inspiration – and to get out of the wind and the rain!
Open to bikes and pedestrians, this alley is about 300 yards long and flanked on both sides by the backs of tall buildings. Not very beautiful and definitely not a short-cut home after dark! It’s an out-of-sight area that’s been left to run wild and even though it’s in the middle of town it’s absolutely teeming with wildlife!
Nestled amongst the shopping trolleys, old bikes and graffiti are dozens of species of plants. It’s weed heaven! In less than 10 minutes I counted for than 50 species.
Counting weeds
Here’s a selection of random weeds from my lunchtime safari:
Species included brambles, willow, mare’s tails, ivy, various nettles, oak, gorse, foxgloves, elder, ground elder, bindweed, buttercups, clover, ragwort, chickweed, thistles and many varieties of grass. And some old school favourites such as ‘flea darts’ and ‘sticky weeds’!
Just goes to show that you can have plenty of wild experiences in towns as well as in the countryside!
What is 30 Days Wild?
30 Days Wild is an opportunity to make room for nature this June – no matter where you are or how busy your life is! Make this the month when you do something wild every day. When you sign up to the challenge, The Wildlife Trusts will even send you a pack full of encouragement, ideas and ‘Random Acts of Wildness’!
Bepton Ranger 