"There was so much of beauty here: the neat, small tracks of a foraging creature..." ~ Jul

Recently I've been trying to chatter like a magpie but scrabble down from the tree chuckling to myself at another less-than-successful attempt. Collecting my thoughts in trees is again becoming an intrinsic ritual to starting aventures but, having particularly finite time today, I cannot linger longer. It has been raining lots recently though not for hours so everywhere is warm and glistening damp with a rising pungency of loam. The nature reserve is among my favorite places and, as much as I love a good aimless wander, forraging feels like an appropriate way of enriching a sense of symbiosis with my surroundings. That and trying to identify every bloom I encounter with the Field Guide to Wild Flowers. It is not long before the water is so clear I can see fish at the far bank and I sink down for the sheer pleasure of digging my fingertips into the rich, moist topsoil before realising I've come over all earthy again. Explosions of fern have always been a jurassic joy of mine, particularly here where they overrun old railway arches and reach high to meet the creepers trailing from above. Scenes like this remind me with great joy of my smallness and that nature always wins.

On today's hit list were nettle, blackberries and rosehip. I also spotted some hazelnuts but despite temptation know I am better off coming back when the leaves begin to yellow. Given the teperamental late summer weather we've had it feels like it could be a week or a month, either way it's just an extra excuse to return every few days. Perhaps next time I should take Mushrooms of Britain?

#naturereserve #adventuring #wildflowers #treeclimbing #JulietMarillier