30 Days Wild. The last ten days

Since June 21st I have not managed any trips to especially wild places. But there is no shortage of wild nature in the town if you look around. On one evening wild nature came to visit us, as a large mouse scampered across our second floor carpet. Since we are moving out in a few days it is hard to get too bothered. I was pleased, on the 25th, to see a dunnock (hedge sparrow they are sometimes called) on the path. They are such elegant small birds; this one was surprisingly trusting. I got within a couple of metres before it hopped into the undergrowth.

I went to the small garden of our new property to do a bit of weeding. A beautiful mayfly settled on my glasses. It was about a centimetre long and was one of the ones with two tail-streamers. There will be a small patch of wild-life garden, and I have already made a small log-pile. There will not be room for a compost heap, so I have put a cylinder of wire netting and filled it with leaves and such like as a habitat for those creatures who like such things. On Mothers' Day (March) at church we gave out little packages of wild flower seeds. I found a suitable strip for mine and they are now coming into flower.

Not far from where we live is Saughton Park. This is a remarkable example of what a local authority can do, given a dedicated team.

The park has expanses of grass for football. There is a play-park for little children and a thriving skateboard park. But bringing wild nature into the city is a big part of the venture. The strips of tree alongside the roads that border the park are thick and tangled. There are some larger clumps too, and glades. A lot of thought has obviously gone into setting these up.

Fortunately there is a map of the whole area, so you can easily see the extent and variety of the project.

The formal gardens are very splendid. I have only photographed one patch out of several. But there are also beds of wild flower annuals that were sown by local children.

You will see on the map that the site has one special bonus. It includes a stretch of the Water of Leith. It rained heavily here on Thursday, so the torrent is quite spectacular.

In fact the team are just starting work on a major development of the site so as to take the project further. I wonder what photos I shall be able to post next year.