On the Verge – Every Moment Counts

Volunteers at On the Verge have been busy again this month, trying to get the message out about bringing nature back to our town. Thanks go to the tireless volunteers who have been visiting local schools, where children have been delighted to get their hands dirty making seed bombs (photo above at Seaford Primary School), planting trees and wild flowers, and playing games to learn all about bees and pollination! These days children have less freedom to explore the natural world for themselves, so its so important to encourage them. Hopefully they will then grow to appreciate it, and want to protect it for future generations.

Every flower

More volunteers have been out monitoring our green spaces, and it’s wonderful to watch flowers and wildlife emerging. It seems there is something new every day I walk past my nearest fields. On the Verge volunteers recently had a lovely picnic meet-up in the Salts. The families that came along helped to count flowers in metre-square quadrats. Based on that sample, the Plantlife calculations showed that a bumblebee could fly for 70 hours with the flowers blooming there. Imagine then how many bees we could maintain in all the green spaces and gardens in the town! The Martello Fields are thriving, with both meadow areas and shorter grass, which is working really well for both people and wildlife. Our observers have spotted bees, hoverflies, moths, beetles, ladybirds and grasshoppers. Birds particularly are appreciating the seed heads and insects in the field near Ringmer Road. We recently visited Seaford Environmental Alliance at the Beacon show launch where enthusiastic visitors started a beautiful new pebble trail with the theme of the natural world. It would be great if people can keep adding to the trail with their own pebble art. While there we noticed a pretty little flower clinging to the edge of the Martello Tower (probably lesser sea spurrey!). It’s amazing what you can spot when you keep an eye out!

Learning together

We all carry on learning throughout our lives. This month I learned, via social media (thanks Mike!) that an insect I photographed two years ago (and again this week) was a Scorpion fly (Panorpa germanica). I also learned it had not been often recorded at this location. It reminded me how important it is to record species if we can (using I-record or similar) so that populations of flowers/insects etc can be monitored.

Precious moments

When we feel so passionately about our cause, we have to be careful not to spend all our time, rushing from one meeting to the next. We need to make time, to stop and smell the roses, listen to the buzz of the bees, and admire the gorgeous flowers of our gardens and wild spaces! These mindful moments are so important for our wellbeing and happiness, that doctors are starting green social prescribing to help with mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. When we do enjoy a beautiful moment with nature, whether the unfurling of a scarlet poppy in the gutter, hearing a swift overhead, or spotting a rare butterfly, it’s even better to share these moments with other likeminded people who will appreciate them.

Renaturing Seaford project

This is why we are about to launch a new project. Renaturing Seaford is a new communication channel about bringing more nature to Seaford. This includes a Facebook page, email newsletter and website for Seaford groups and naturalists of all ages and abilities. This will help support and strengthen our community and ensure that all our observations count on our Renaturing Seaford journey! Please join in! Every moment shared counts! https://www.facebook.com/groups/renaturingseaford (Watch out for our website and newsletter very soon!)