March/April Nature Musings 2025

Hi everyone,

Wondrous Beltane Blessings to you all...may the fertile rising energy of the land feed your soul.

And wow what a change from the last 2 months!  To watch the land every day change and respond to the increase in Sun warmth and light is so inspiring...that first greening of the land, a dab here and there.......to the end of April where our hedgerows are bursting with flower and leaf, and the air around us is a buzz of that fertile energy causing all to 'get busy'!

I have had to step back a few times as being on this rapidly growing rollercoaster of energy can wipe me out....and that pause and reset has been very welcome.  To sit for a while and regain my strength and focus is what I need every now and then, readying myself to ride the waves of energy once more. 

There have been some amazing nature encounters these last two months.....I hope you enjoy reading a few I have picked to mention in this nature musings below.......

"Green spears amid meditative browns are the wild garlic leaves, the foliage that loves summer shelter and winter light."

Angela Abraham

Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum), native to the UK, recognisable from the strong pungent smell as you step into a woodland, carpeting the woodland floors in Spring.......in some of the ancient woodlands I regularly wander through, in Somerset and East Devon, Wild Garlic literally covers the whole floor.  And for me, the best time to visit these woodlands, and this amazing plant, is just before everyone else gets up!!!  There is nothing quite like the rising sunlight on the carpet of Wild Garlic to capture all of your senses.

It has many common names; Damsons, Cowlicks, Buckrams, Broad-leaved Garlic, Wood Garlic & Bear's Garlic.  The connection with 'Bear' comes from the species name 'ursinum', derived from “ursus” (bear), and is related to folktales.  When Bears awaken from their winter hibernation they will consume this plant to remove toxins from the body and to regain strength.  I haven't seen many Bears in Somerset or East Devon thankfully, but this plant is a wonderful plant to forage (but only take what you need and no more!).

It is one of those plants with a vast history attached:

• The Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum) is indigenous to the UK, whereas the common garlic used for cooking today (Allium sativum) was probably introduced by the Romans.
• Wild garlic was worn to guard against the plague, and today is still used to absorb diseases - rubbing fresh garlic onto the afflicted part of the body (e.g. tooth abscess).  It is a powerful antiseptic, antibiotic, anti-fungal, anti-parasitic and anti-carcinogenic agents.
• Because of all the above it was known as a ‘cure-all’…….and according to many folklore all over the world was also seen to drive away evil.  
• Garlic = gar a spear, and lac a plant - of Anglo-Saxon origin
• It has flavoured food and maintained the body’s health for over 5000 years.  In ancient Egyptian and classical worlds Garlic is mentioned in lots of different medicinal formulae.  It is found in Sanskrit medical books, Chinese medicine, Romany lore (one of the five healing foods, together with Onion, Lemon, Chilli and Honey), and carried with Vikings on their long sea voyages (offering protection).

It is an ancient woodland indicator plant and its early flowering makes it an important food source for bees and other insects.

It is a major ‘health’ food and its freely growing in the countryside - ability to mop up free radicals through its antioxidant action, supports the adrenal glands, maintains heart health and reduces blood pressure.

Wild garlic bulbs had traditionally been used in medicine in tonics for rheumatic problems and lowering high cholesterol.  Leaves can be eaten raw in salads, or blanched and used instead of spinach - add to soups, and pesto (my favourite).  The flowers can be eaten too and a great addition to salads (eat raw - although not too much, they do have a stronger flavour). 

Interestingly, 33 sulphur compounds have been found in Garlic - the largest number found in a plant to this day!!  And scientists have discovered nearly 20 major chemical actions induced by its ingestion......it truly is an amazing plant ally.

For me, its energetic value comes through purification and strength.  It brings an incredible feeling of safety, of deep grounding, and connection to All.....reinforcing that we are never alone.  I love working energetically with this plant when I need to sharpen my perception within the natural world and my life: I never feel alone when working with Wild Garlic.

Back in Spring 2022, I was called to co-create an essence with Wild Garlic in the wild woods I venture into most days - that heady aroma of the garlic immediately cleared my head and senses and brought stillness and calm throughout the whole of the co-creation process.  I noticed the arrow-like green leaves piercing through the ground and the older, brown leaves - nothing getting in their way.  The flowers of pure white, cleansing, purifying, very strong and bold (held above the green leaves on sturdy stalks), helping to remove the chaos of the monkey brain.  Their tall stem bringing a strength through the energy centres of the body, realignment. 

I felt deeply grounded by this plant, showing me how they are held, nurtured, in the ground over winter, coming out to teach their medicine in Spring.  And a real sense of community all around sitting in amongst the woodland floor, covered in Wild Garlic.  Their teachings showing a healthy connection to source, awakening the senses, stimulating…..to perceive the natural world with focused awareness.......exactly what I need after my winter hibernation!  

There is still time now to see Wild Garlic in woodlands...so use your nose and sniff out the plant and discover it's teachings for yourself.

"Beavers are the best ecosystem engineers - building dams to help regulate water flow and reduce soil erosion; and the wetland provided by their work also helps to filter waterborne pollutants and help improve water quality further downstream."  

Beaver activity in East Devon

There is a local woodland/wetland habitat, on the River Otter near me, that has had Beaver activity since 2008, but were repopulated through the Devon Wildlife Trust's River Otter Beaver Trial in 2015.  Since the Beaver numbers have increased the value of the wetland biodiversity, the fauna and flora on this site has markedly changed for the better.  I have walked this site now for 24 years watching the land change through the seasons, initially seeing very little human intervention.  

Only once have I ever seen an actual Beaver at this one particular site - managed to get a rare glimpse late one evening.  I made a point of sitting and waiting until dusk and was rewarded with 20mins of watching an adult Beaver swimming in the lakes and fetching wood from one side of the bank to the other.  

But their evidence at this one site is everywhere.......the chiseled trunks of trees, branches and movement of wood to various dam sites can be seen now throughout the whole of the site and further up and down stream.  The continued research by the Devon Wildlife Trust along the River Otter has claimed that there are 15 families of Beavers now in residence along the River Otter.

And why are they important? -  Beavers are classed as a keystone species, playing a huge role in shaping habitats and supporting other wildlife.  Their activity of creating dams, ponds and channels on wetland areas helps restore ecosystems - allowing the creation of diverse habitats for a variety of plants and animals; reduce flood risk - their dams helping to hold back water during heavy rainfall; improve water quality - pollutants being filtered through the dams, and sediment deposition in ponds; increase biodiversity to a site - lot of scientific research now on this species that shows a healthy Beaver population also supports a wide range of other wildlife too (Otters, Kingfishers, various bird and mammal species).   

Those two phrases “Busy as a Beaver” and “Eager Beaver” both started appearing around the 1300s based on observations of the Beaver in nature.  The Beaver diligently creates and maintains its habitat; chewing on chosen trees until they fall, and moving logs they collect to construct their dams (always perfectly in place).  They are hard working, excellent swimmers, very persistent, and loyal to their family group........I know when I was watching that one Beaver I had a strong sense of 'need to get this done', and nothing was going to get in its way.....and it was the care and attention it took when collecting fallen branches that captivated me.

I've been back to the site in the last few weeks to witness the bluebells emerging and to hear the Ravens on their nest site.  Still no physical site of the Beaver, but a tremendous amount of activity along the footpaths near to the river.  It did make me chuckle when I was taking the photos above......I was stopped by a couple walking their dogs and was asked what I was photographing.  When I mentioned Beaver activity, they never even knew that the site had Beavers on there...and they hadn't seen the signs of their activity.  Once pointed out to them they were completely shocked that they hadn't seen the signs before....and I could hear them as they continued on their walk finding more and more chewed trees along the riverbank.

Of course the Beaver in many countries, including the UK, hasn't always been admired and welcomed onto the land - they were hunted for their pelts and castoreum (natural secretion used in perfumes and medicine), to the point of extinction!   Beavers were an important part of Canadian history too, and during the fur trade of the 1600s and early 1700s, they were trapped and hunted for their valuable pelts.  At the height of the fur trade, around 200,000 beavers were killed in Canada each year.  Now thankfully they have legal protection and are being viewed as a key environmental species.

In February 2025 the UK government announced that beavers were allowed to live wild in English rivers for the first time in centuries......wow, now all we need is for local landowners to respect and co-work with this amazing animal in helping to restore and look after our wetland environments.  How many of you have Beaver colonies along your local rivers or wetlands?

Tree flowers in Spring

How many of you have been looking up to witness the wide adornment of tree flowers gracing our trees?  From the exploding ash flowers, to the delicate Oak all have an amazing show of flowers and activity above our heads...you just need to look up!

The photos above show Oak flowers (top left), catkins of Willow (top right), then the Hazel male and female (red) flowers (bottom left) and of course beautiful flowers of Hawthorn (bottom right) now everywhere in our hedgerows.

There has been so much activity these last 2 months and for me the trees do show us when Spring has finally sprung - the rising energy from the Earth bursting out of the branches in a profusion of colour.  Sending insects into a frenzy, providing the first bountiful amount of nectar.

One of the things I constantly do in Spring when working with clients on the land is to get them to see the flowers of the trees; and for many this is the first time they have 'seen' tree flowers.  We as human beings tend to spend so much of our time inward, or projected only in what we are doing and where we need to go, without realising the hive of activity going on around us.  And for a lot of the catkin producing trees the activity of the wind is their prime pollinator, whereas the flower trees rely heavily on insects for their pollination.....and so much activity above our heads!

Not all trees produce brightly coloured flowers like the Magnolia, Blackthorn or Hawthorn.......the green catkins of the Oak, hanging clusters of flowers of the Maple, and the cones and catkins of the Alder are so beautiful to see.  And after the bare bones of the branches throughout winter, this profusion of activity is a sure sign of rebirth, hope and energy coming through for the new growing year. 

I also feel a real sense of excitement when I see the first flowers appear on the trees...I know winter is coming to an end and Spring is on its way.  A sense of change, even if I am a bit reluctant to change.  The trees are always showing that we constantly need to move forward, to welcome in that uprising energy from the earth and show the world how we are flowering at this time.

So each Spring I connect in with the tree flowers that really call to me and sit with those trees and reflect how their journey relates to my own life and healing journey.......and each year a different tree comes into play that always amazes me.  

What tree flower calls to you this Spring?  Spend some time getting to know the tree and what it symbolises for you.  Co-work with the tree...find out what the tree needs from you in return from this relationship....sacred reciprocity is essential when working with the more-than-human.  Observe and learn from your encounters.....tree flowers help us flower into who we are meant to be!

Amazing Ferns.....

The excitement of finding the unfurling fronds of ferns throughout the woodland floor and hedgerows has been full on these last 2 months.  As a child I used to spend ages looking at the complexities of the unfurling geometric shapes and colours of these amazing ancient, primitive species.

Ferns are everywhere all around the world.....well apart from Antarctica.  Thriving in woodlands and any shady areas in your gardens, parks and fields.  They don't produce flowers but are a bit like fungi in that they produce spores on the underside of their leaves.  

My visits to New Zealand standing under the huge tree ferns were absolute magical moments, especially on that land, really feeling the primitive connection to the land.  But I also find magic in the smaller, delicate ferns growing here in the UK.

I'm fond of spirals....if I doodle, I doodle spirals...so ferns really hit the spot for me.  And I love seeing the complex geometry within each frond too...my mathematical nerdiness being activated too!

There are around 12,000 different species of fern all around the world, with some species having a history of being on the Earth more than 360 million years ago!!

My favourite place to see ferns in the summer is actually in Exmoor, in the ancient woodland walks along the river Barle.  Here ferns can be seen growing on the trunks and branches of the trees, or in cracks between old stone banks in shaded areas.  

But the Spring unfurling is definitely one that makes me take so many photographs!!

Energetically Ferns symbolise new life and new beginnings, and an ideal plant ally to connect in with during Spring.  In some cultures they symbolise magic, healing, good luck, and a symbol of enduring beauty and a connection to the natural world.  Having survived such a long time on this Earth their ability to thrive and endure challenging conditions makes them a symbol of resilience and adaptability.

But I love the New Zealand connection to their silver fern, the ponga; used as a symbol of New Zealand since the 1880s.  To the Māori people the silver fern represents strength, resistance and enduring power.  For Pākehā (non-Māori New Zealanders), it symbolises their connection to their homeland.

Māori legends say the silver fern once lived in the sea and was used by hunters to guide them home, using the silvery underside of the leaves to find their way.
In Celtic folklore and culture here in the UK, Ferns often appear in tales, symbolism and even place names.  Ferns are associated with magic and invisibility in Celtic lore, and the Ogham alphabet includes a letter named "Fern", corresponding to the letter F, highlighting its importance in Celtic writing and storytelling.  And with many cultures all around the world, the Celts also associated the Fern with the concept of everlasting youth and new beginnings.  

Keep your eyes out for these beauties unfurling their energy in woodlands and shaded areas.“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness."  John Muir

The Wild Garlic shown above was my place to 'be', in the early hours celebrating Beltane on the 1st of May.  Walking to this woodland in the very early hours, accompanied by the ever increasing birdsong was such an amazing experience.  To sit in amongst the Wild Garlic and hear the birds around me wake up with such loud chorus, filled me with so much hope and joy....couldn't think of a better way to celebrate Beltane!

The energy of Beltane will see us through the next few weeks, but with Summer Solstice only 7 weeks away we all need to be aware how we can co-work with this energy to help us grow and flower into the year.  Take time out from the busyness too, to reflect and integrate what you are learning, how are you growing into this year?

Enjoy the energy of Spring and the wonders of the natural world around you.

"Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her patterns, so that each small piece of her fabric reveals the organisation of the entire tapestry."
Richard P Feynman

Spring Blessings to you all,
Karen x