30 Days

Wild

It's the UK's biggest nature challenge! Can you do something to help wildlife or connect with nature every day during the month of June?

During June, the Wildlife Trusts are inviting people to do one wild thing each day. With simple, fun actions, it's possible to help boost biodiversity and connect with the natural world.

Click here to sign up and collect your free pack for plenty of inspiration to complete 30 Days Wild.

And we've put together our own suggestions for 'Random Acts of Wildness' that you could try in the next 30 days (and beyond).

1. Create a log pile. Dead wood and branches are used as a place to nest or shelter by small mammals, including hedgehogs. And dead and decaying wood can be an excellent habitat for stag beetles, click beetles, and other insects, as well as supporting fungi, lichens and mosses.

2. Identify a bumblebee. There are 24 species of bumblebee in the UK. To find out which ones are visiting your garden or community green space, use this handy identification guide from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

3. Let the grass grow. Although #NoMowMay is now over, #LetItBloomJune has now begun. Leaving a small patch of grass unmown allows wildflowers to grow, and can really boost biodiversity.

4. Listen to the birds. The dawn chorus is still in full swing, and the beautiful birdsong you might hear is worth the effort of getting up early. If you're more of a night owl, there's always the dusk chorus – not quite as loud as the dawn chorus, but still lovely to listen to.

5. Create a bee bowl. Just like us, bees need to drink – but many natural water sources are too deep or fast-flowing for bees. Find or buy a shallow container and put in some small pebbles or marbles. Then fill with water – making sure that plenty of pebbles stand out of the water, to give the bees something to land on.

6. Make a hedgehog hole. Hedgehogs roam as far as 2km per night to search for food. Creating a hedgehog-sized hole in garden fences and similar barriers can help them move freely around your neighbourhood.

7. Grow a bee's breakfast. Nectar-rich plants such as lavender, sedums, borage and scabious are good food sources for pollinators.

8. Watch out for bats. Pipistrelles are the UK's commonest bat British bat, and are most active at dusk, when they hunt for insects. Look out for them in woodlands and near water.

9. Help to protect roadside nature. Write to your local council to ask them to stop mowing road verges, where it's safe to do so. And sign Plantlife's Road Verges Campaign petition.

10. Have a plastic-free day. Plastic often ends up the sea, so help marine wildlife by avoiding single-use plastics.

11. Create a nettle patch. Stinging nettles are an excellent food source for the caterpillars of peacock, red admiral, comma and tortoiseshell butterflies.

12. Hug a tree. A single tree can absorb 10 pounds of air pollutants a year, and ancient trees may support more than 2,000 species of bird, insect, fungus, and lichen.

13. Switch to eco-friendly home products. There are chemical-free, nature friendly versions of almost all the products we use in our homes, from washing-up liquid to hand soaps. Chemicals from household products often end up in rivers and seas – so choosing natural alternatives is a good way to help protect fresh-water and marine wildlife.

14. Read a book outdoors about nature. There are so many lovely books to choose from, but here are three suggestions: Dancing with Bees by Brigit Strawbridge Howard; Losing Eden by Lucy Jones; and Wilding by Isabella Tree.

15. Sow wildflower seeds. Scattering some Seedballs onto bare earth, or even into a container of soil, is one of the easiest ways to grow wildflowers.

16. Peer into a pond. Look out for dragonflies, frogs, pond skaters, toads, damselflies, water boatmen and newts.

17. Go forest bathing. Spending time in nature is excellent for wellbeing, and woodlands are particularly beneficial – it's believed that being amongst trees can boost the immune system, lower blood pressure, and aid sleep.

18. Tell the time with a dandelion clock. Dandelions offer nectar-rich blooms for bees, and butterflies, and birds such as goldfinches feed on the seeds – so give dandelions a chance to grow!

19. Plant night-blooming flowers for moths. Jasmine, evening primrose, nicotiana, night-scented stock and honeysuckle release their scent at night and will attract nocturnal insects.

20. Get up early to watch the sun rise. You could combine this with number 4!

21. Build or buy a bug hotel. Collect pine cones, hollow stems, straw, leaves and twigs and arrange in layers in a wooden frame – two builder's pallets stacked on top of each other works well. Or buy a ready-made bee home – solitary bees love to nest in these.

22. Help hoverflies. Hoverflies are beneficial insects that can help control aphids – making them valuable to organic gardeners who want to reduce the number of pests on crops and flowers. Hoverflies are also important pollinators. Grow nectar-rich flowers such as poached-egg plants, sweet peas, alyssum, dill and marigolds. Hoverflies seem to be particularly keen on yellow blooms – they love dandelions!

23. Save a bumblebee. Grounded, struggling bumblebees at this time of year are probably tired or hungry. The best way to help a bumblebee in trouble is to place it gently on a flowering plant. If no flowers are nearby, a 50/50 white sugar and water mix can be offered as a one-off energy boost. Don't offer honey as doing so can spread viruses.

24. Recycle litter. Millions of small mammals die each year from getting stuck in littered bottles, plastic and cans, says Keep Britain Tidy. This includes shrews and voles – which are a vital source of food for birds of prey. Save lives by reducing and recycling packaging, instead of littering.

25. Bee Kind. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust's Bee Kind tool shows you how bee-friendly your garden is. It gives you a score based on the plants growing in your garden, with lots of points for 'Super Plants' such as alliums, dandelions, lavender and sunflowers. There are lots of ideas for improving your garden, including planting recommendations tailored to your garden's growing conditions.

26. Choose peat-free compost. Peat bogs are precious wild places that take thousands of years to form. They store carbon, reduce flooding, and are home to insects, birds, and plants – some of which are found nowhere else.

27. Spot butterflies. Watching butterflies flit around the park or garden is a wonderful way to spend a sunny afternoon. Look out for commas, peacocks and tortoiseshells – and start honing your identification skills for Butterfly Conservation's Big Butterfly Count next month.

28. Grow a container herb garden. Herbs are great for pollinators and many can be grown in pots. Try rosemary, marjoram, sage, chives and thyme.

29. Give birds a drink. In hot weather, fresh water is essential for birds for drinking and bathing. Use a shallow container with access points so that small mammals don't get trapped.

30. Take a walk in nature. Head to your nearest woodland, park, river, beach or meadow, and enjoy the sights and sounds you experience. Look for colourful wildflowers and insects. Feel the different textures of rough bark or smooth pebbles. Listen out for tuneful birdsong and the breeze blowing through the trees. It's an ideal way to relax and connect with the natural world around you.

Little Green Space is a non-profit project sharing solutions to the nature and climate crises, and offering inspiration for a greener lifestyle. If you like our content, please help keep us going with a small donation!

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