Wild gems: March 2024
“No one will protect what they don't care about; and no one will care about what they have never experienced.”
Sir David Attenborough has spoken, and who would contradict him? And so, at least once a month, I go out into the stunning Essex countryside to experience the natural world that I care so much about.
As a member of the Essex Wildlife Trust, I tend to be drawn to their sites, but I also venture to other conservation areas and projects and bring back images of and information about some of the “wild gems” I encounter along the way. Previous editions of these blog posts can be found here, or there’s a complete gallery here.
This month’s site
Unfortunately it’s been a very busy month, so I haven’t managed to find a whole day to explore a particular site. Instead I’d like to share some pictures I took out on a lunchtime walk down the River Chelmer. It’s an interesting place to go for a walk - the flood plain on one side is essentially left to its own devices, but over the years more and more buildings have been constructed on the town side. I can’t help but feel it’s just storing up future trouble. The river is at least allowed (mostly) to do its own thing and doesn’t appear to have been significant artificially straightened or canalised, so there are a few interesting wild things to see. And if you can ignore the sound of the dual carriageway, there are parts where you could almost forget you’re within a 20-minute walk of a major city.
This month’s wild gems
