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“An understanding of the natural world is a source of not only great curiosity, but great fulfilment.” (Sir David Attenborough)
This week for our A-Z of Wellbeing we focus on ‘I is for insect spotting’. Despite their small size, insects form the basis of most food chains, and play big roles in ecological processes which us humans depend on. Learning to appreciate the smallest of creatures gives us a sense of place and belonging in the world. We can learn to appreciate the intricacies of each species, which allows us to become fascinated with the wonder of the natural world through activities such as insect spotting.
Inspect spotting is a wonderful activity to do with the whole family, and can be done easily and safely from the comfort of your own garden. It familiarises you with the incredible wildlife that surround you, and helps you get even closer to nature. To get even closer to nature, you could invest in a magnifying glass or magnifier to help identify insects more easily.
#WellnessWednesday
Today for our last day of #BringNatureHome we wanted to share with you the last of our nature inspired home learning resources.
Our Wildlife Education Officer, Allan, thoroughly enjoyed putting together these learning resources for you; we hope they provided you with lots of interesting wildlife facts, information and activities. If you haven’t already downloaded them all, they will still be available for you to download at any time via our website. Visit here: bit.ly/34QZhs6
If your children took part in our downloadable colour sheets from this series, we would love to see photos of their wonderful artwork. You can share them either in the comments section below or DM us with a photo of their artwork and their favourite thing about nature.
One of the most popular and celebrated spring bulbs are Daffodils (Narcissus). They are easy to look after in both the garden and garden pots. When they flower depends on what variety of daffodil they are. Some can appear in early spring, whereas others can appear later on in the season. In our Wave & Wave Line Garden our Head Gardener, Jonathan, plants many different daffodil varieties however, on your visit to Pensthorpe you will most likely see: Thalia, Tete a Tete and Winston Churchill; all three of which are very contrasting varieties.
Thalia, often referred to as Orchid Narcissus, is large in size and white in appearance, boasting a beautiful fragrance. These can typically be seen in mid spring. Tete a tete is one of the most popular dwarf daffodil varieties, standing at only 15cm high, brighter in colour and appearing earlier on in spring. Lastly, Sir Winston Churchill are another daffodil variety which appears in our Wave & Wave Line Garden. This variety has loose clusters of creamy white, double flowers, with a ‘ruffled’ appearance. This variety also has a sweet fragrance.
Beautiful varieties
We have a garden update from our Head Gardener, Jonathan, who discusses the flowers and scents that currently dress our Wave & Wave Line Garden. The glorious scent that currently fills the Wave & Wave Line Garden is from Sarcococca, also more commonly known as Christmas box.
If you aren’t already familiar with this plant, Sarcococca are small shrubs with fragrant flowers and dark green foliage, typically white in colour, whilst some Sarcococca can produce red or purple flowers. After flowering, the Christmas box then goes on to produce berries which are either red, black or purple.
🎥 - This video was filmed Sunday 21st FebruarySarcococca is lovely...
Owner, Deb Jordan, captured this video of a pair of swans elegantly gliding on Old Squaw Lake in the glorious sunshine, with the male chasing the female.
Spring is most definitely around the corner! -
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Today is #WorldWildlifeDay, an important day to celebrate the world's wild animals and plants. This year’s theme raises importance of forests in sustaining the livelihoods of individuals globally.
Find out more: https://t.co/5uURq7d0zVI is for 'insect spotting'
Insects form the basis of most food chains, and play vital roles in ecological processes which us humans depend on. Learning to appreciate the smallest of creatures gives us a sense of place and belonging in the world.
#WellnessWednesdayToday is our last day of #BringNatureHome! We hope you have enjoyed our resources produced by Wildlife Education Officer Allan. If you haven’t already downloaded them all, visit https://t.co/koLcTB5hT2
Amazing Forest School work today 😃 @HowardJuniorSch @AspireSuite @InspireSuite @6Rowling @DahlClassHJS @Twiggles3K @inspiretoohjs @talk_wildlife @Pensthorpe
We have many different varieties of Daffodils in our Wave & Wave Line Garden including: Thalia, Tete a Tete and Sir Winston Churchill. All of these varieties vary drastically in appearance, and flower at different points in the season. #StDavidsDay2021
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“An understanding of the natural world is a source of not only great curiosity, but great fulfilment.” (Sir David Attenborough)
This week for our A-Z of Wellbeing we focus on ‘I is for insect spotting’. Despite their small size, insects form the basis of most food chains, and play vital roles in ecological processes which us humans depend on. Learning to appreciate the smallest of creatures gives us a sense of place and belonging in the world. We can learn to appreciate the intricacies of each species, which allows us to become fascinated with the wonder of the natural world through activities such as insect spotting.
Inspect spotting is a wonderful activity to do with the whole family, and can be done easily and safely from the comfort of your own garden. It familiarises you with the incredible wildlife that surround you, and helps you get even closer to nature.
To get even closer to nature, you could invest in a magnifying glass or magnifier to help identify insects more easily.
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#WellnessWednesday
#wellbeing
#WellbeingWednesday
#wellness
#wellnessjourney
#mentalhealth
#mentalhealthawareness
#mentalhealthmatters
#mentalwellness
#mentalwellbeing
#nature
#natureheals
#naturegram
#nature_brilliance
#naturelove
#naturebeauty
#mindfulness
#naturelover
#natureshots
#pensthorpe
#pensthorpenaturalpark
#Insect
#Insectspotting
#Insects
#Wildlife
#WonderfulwildlifeToday for our last day of #BringNatureHome we wanted to share with you the last of our nature inspired home learning resources.
Our Wildlife Education Officer, Allan, thoroughly enjoyed putting together these learning resources for you; we hope they provided you with lots of interesting wildlife facts, information and activities. If you haven’t already downloaded them all, they will still be available for you to download at any time via our website. Visit the link in our bio.
If your children got creative with our downloadable colour sheets from this series, we would love to see photos of their wonderful artwork. You can share them with us by either tagging us @pensthorpenaturalpark or DM us a photo of their artwork and favourite thing about nature.
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#bringnaturehome #education #homeschooling #pensthorpe #pensthorpenaturalpark #homeschool #lockdown #science #scienceeducation #teachersofinstagram #teachers #remotelearning #remoteteaching #ks1 #ks2 #learning #schoolOne of the most popular spring bulbs, and easily cared for in both the garden and garden pots, Daffodils (Narcissus). Depending on the variety of Daffodil depends on the time they flower; some can appear in early spring, whereas others can appear later on in the season. In our Wave & Wave Line Garden our Head Gardener plants many different daffodil varieties, however on your visit to Pensthorpe you will most likely see: Thalia, Tete a Tete and Winston Churchill; all three of which are very contrasting varieties.
Thalia, often referred to as Orchid Narcissus, is large in size and white in appearance, boasting a beautiful fragrance. These can typically be seen in mid spring. Tete a tete is one of the most popular dwarf daffodil varieties, standing at only 15cm high, brighter in colour and appearing earlier on in spring. Lastly, Sir Winston Churchill are another daffodil variety which appears in our Wave & Wave Line Garden this variety has loose clusters of creamy white, double flowers, with a ‘ruffled’ appearance this variety also has a sweet fragrance.
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#daffodils #daffodils🌼 #daffodilseason #spring #springflowers #flowers #narcissus #teteatete #waveandwavelinegarden #gardens #norfolkgardens #gardening #gardeners #garden #norfolk #northnorfolk #greatoutdoors #lovenature #freedomtolovenature #naturewonders #natureheals #nature #springflowers #springiscomingFor today's #FlamingoFriday we continue to focus on lesser flamingos, cousin to our resident flamingos, the greater flamingo.
Flamingos are great ambassadors for wetland conservation. The greater flamingos we have here at Pensthorpe allow us to highlight the issues and conservation successes facing their cousins; the lesser flamingo.
Did you know that an estimated 75% of the world’s population of 3.2 million lesser flamingos breed in Lake Natron in Tanzania; a lake so deadly that hardly any other animal can live there. For many years this breeding site was threatened by plans to construct a soda ash factory, thankfully abandoned in 2018.
The few other lesser flamingo breeding sites in Africa are threatened by pollution and drought.
In 2019, South Africa’s only breeding site at Kamfers Dam was affected by drought conditions coupled with decreased water availability from the nearby city. This caused thousands of lesser flamingo chicks to be abandoned by their parents as the lake dried up. Many of the chicks were rescued and 577 juveniles were successfully reintroduced to the lake once the water levels had increased later in the year.
📷 - Image of lesser flamingos at Lake Nakuru in Kenya
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#flamingofriday
#flamingo
#FlamingosinNorfolk
#wetland
#wetlands
#wetlandbird
#weloveflamingos #mingo #flamingolove #pensthorpenaturalpark
#Norfolk #NorthNorfolk #naturereserve #naturereservesUK #Norwich #Pensthorpe #lovenature
#flamingos
#flamboyanceofflamingos
#wetlands
#wetlandconservation
#wetlandawareness
#iloveflamingosFollowing this week’s government announcement of the exit strategy and roadmap out of lockdown, we are delighted to announce that we look forward to welcoming you back to Pensthorpe from Wednesday 14th April*. More details to follow soon!
In the meantime, if you want to be the first to know what is happening at Pensthorpe and what is to come, then please subscribe to our newsletter (link in bio).
*This is subject to change and depends on the success of the lockdown exit strategy.
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#pensthorpe #pensthorpenaturalpark #northnorfolk #norfolk #norwich #daysout #dayout #familytime #familytrip #familydayout #naturelovers #freedomtolovenature #lovenature #visitnorthnorfolk #visitnorfolk #visitenglandH is for Hiking!
As the sun starts to appear and the days become a littler warmer, a hike outdoors becomes that little more appealing. Hiking outdoors has lots of perks; especially in springtime, when flowers start to bloom, the sound of birds singing throughout the day and the sun beating down. In addition to these particular perks, hiking is also known to be packed with a number of health benefits: it is known to reduce heart disease, help maintain or lose weight and improve our blood pressure and glucose levels, so why not put on those walking boots or trainers and discover a local spectacular hiking path.
At Pensthorpe we have a number of routes and hiking paths for you to discover, which we can’t wait for you to reconnect with once we are able to welcome back our visitors and Annual Members.
For those of you living in Norfolk there are so many delightful routes for you to discover! You can find them via the link in our bio.
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#WellnessWednesday
#wellbeing
#wellness
#wellnessjourney
#mentalhealth
#mentalhealthawareness
#mentalhealthmatters
#mentalwellness
#mentalwellbeing
#nature
#natureheals
#naturegram
#nature_brilliance
#naturelove
#naturebeauty
#mindfulness
#naturelover
#natureshots
#pensthorpe
#pensthorpenaturalpark
#hiking
#hike
#norfolkwalks
#walksEvery Tuesday during lockdown we have been bringing you our #BringNatureHome series of online resources. This week’s learning resource focuses on pollination and pollinators.
This resource, which has been put together by our Wildlife Education Officer Allan, covers core elements from the KS1 and KS2 Science syllabus.
What you will discover:
✔️Learn about the wildlife involved in the pollination process
✔️Learn about what pollination is and the pollination process
✔️Find out about the importance of pollination for our food chain
✔️Get involved with fun filled pollination games and activities
Download this week’s resource via the link in our bio.
📷 - Photography of Common Carder Bee by Annie Kerridge
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#Pollination #Pollinators #Bees #Savethebees #nature #honeybees #insects #flowers #pollen #butterflies #butterfly #apiary #pensthorpenaturalpark #pensthorpe #lovenature #foodchain #foodcycle #natureswonderInspired by nature, 10-year-old Stuart captured these fantastic photographs whilst on a day out at Pensthorpe with his Dad and brother in August last year. Stuart’s Dad was delighted to witness his autistic son’s newfound inspiration to photograph nature, as well as the careful attention he took to frame and capture each individual photograph.
We simply love how each photograph is vibrant with nature and colour; well done Stuart!
Receiving your stories and photographs taken at the park is a real delight; especially when we learn about children such as Stuart who learnt a new skill and engaged with his surroundings through photography.
If you have any photographs/stories you would like to share with us of your visit to Pensthorpe, please tag us or PM us.
📷 - Photography by Stuart, aged 10
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#Photography #Childrensphotography #Naturephotography #wildlifephotography #Nature #Pensthorpe #PensthorpeNaturalPark #Norfolk #NorthNorfolk #inclusion #Familydaysout #Familydayout #familytime #natureheals
#naturegram
#nature_brilliance
#naturelove #naturebeautyOur Reserve Manager, Richard, regularly records what sightings the team and our visitors have spotted, so we can share what species you can potentially see during your visit at Pensthorpe.
On Tuesday, our first bittern was spotted, and as spring arrives, the males state their presence with a 'boom' noise, which is known to travel for several miles and is easy to hear on a still day.
On Wednesday, two wild cranes flew over Pensthorpe, calling to our own birds, as well as the first pair of Oystercatchers which were spotted, despite the continued flooding.
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#Norfolk #NorthNorfolk #VisitNorfolk #visitnorthnorfolk #natureswonders #lovenature #naturelove #naturebrilliance #pensthorpe #pensthorpenaturalpark #northnorfolk #naturereserve #oystercatcher #bittern #sightingsAs the season transitions from winter to spring, and the days become longer and brighter, we wanted to share with you some of our favourite signs of #spring to look out for in nature in the upcoming weeks:
1. Snowdrops - you may have already started to notice these in woodland areas. They are the first species of flower to bloom in the year.
2. Daffodils - you will start to see daffodils bloom around March. Did you know they are one of the lowest maintenance garden plants which require little care once settled?
3. Nest building - you may already have started to hear birds singing to attract mates and warn rivals off their patch.
4. Tree buds - catkins and blossoms start to appear on trees and wait for sunshine to start to bloom.
5. Early butterflies and bees - butterflies and some species of bees will start to come out at the first sign of warmer weather.
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#spring #springtime #daffodils #snowdrops #birds #birdwatching #butterflies #bees #catkins #blossom #LoveNature #Nature #natureheals
#naturegram
#nature_brilliance
#naturelove
#naturebeauty #Pensthorpe #PensthorpeNaturalPark #NorthNorfolk #VisitNorfolk #visitnorthnorfolk #natureswondersIt is #FlamingoFriday!
Did you know that there are 6 different species of flamingos in the world? These are greater flamingo, Chilean flamingo, lesser flamingo, Caribbean flamingo, Andean flamingo and puna flamingo. Greater flamingos can be found in the wild across Africa, southern Asia, the Middle East and southern Europe. Greater flamingos share much of this range with one other species of flamingo, the lesser flamingo.
Lesser flamingos are much smaller and stand less than 1m tall. They can be distinguished from greater flamingos by their darker pink colour and more extensive black on their bill. They feed in the same way as greater flamingos; using their bills to filter blue-green algae out of the lakes where they live.
📷 - Lesser flamingo (left), greater flamingo (right)
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#flamingofriday
#flamingo
#FlamingosinNorfolk
#wetland
#wetlands
#wetlandbird
#weloveflamingos #mingo #flamingolove #pensthorpenaturalpark
#Norfolk #NorthNorfolk #naturereserve #naturereservesUK #Norwich #Pensthorpe #lovenature
#flamingos
#flamboyanceofflamingos
#wetlands
#wetlandconservation
#wetlandawareness
#iloveflamingos
#flamingofunSenior Aviculturist, Kat, captured the differing reactions of our Grey crowned cranes and Red crowned cranes in last week’s snowfall. Some of our birds love the snow and others not so much!
Our Red crowned cranes were full of energy enjoying the winter weather. Wild Red crowned cranes are associated with cold weather climates and are often found in the wetlands between East Asia and Russia, though they are known to stick to regions with milder climates.
Our Grey crowned cranes on the other hand were a little more reluctant to venture out and preferred the warm shelter. In the wild Grey crowned cranes can be found in mixed wetland or grassland habitats in eastern and southern Africa.
🎥- Kat MacPherson
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#conservation
#endangeredspecies
#PensthorpeConservationTrust
#PCT
#aviculture
#birdphotography
#naturephotography
#rarespecies
#ornithology
#birdwatching
#wildlifeconservation
#redcrownedcrane
#greycrownedcrane
#IUCN
#InternationalCraneFoundation
#ICF
#Pensthorpenaturalpark
#northnorfolk
#PensthorpeG is for geocaching!
If you haven't already heard of this unique outdoor activity, geocaching is a treasure hunt inspired activity using a GPS device or smartphone. This outdoor treasure hunt requires you to seek out as many 'caches' (hidden treasures) as you can find in differing locations, whilst using coordinates given on geocaching.com. It is a perfect opportunity for the whole family to get out into the fresh air and venture out to new places, as well as exercising your observation skills.
Geocaches come in all different shapes and sizes. Some are really easy to find and others are more challenging. It is a worldwide activity, with millions of caches secretly hidden all over the world and gives going for a walk a sense of purpose. There’s likely to be one very close to you right now!
You get to discover new areas and places you wouldn’t know existed, whilst keeping your brain active. We highly recommend you try it!
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#wellbeingwednesday
#wellbeing
#wellness
#wellnessjourney
#mentalhealth
#mentalhealthawareness
#mentalhealthmatters
#mentalwellness
#mentalwellbeing
#nature
#natureheals
#naturegram
#nature_brilliance
#naturelove
#naturebeauty
#mindfulness
#naturelover
#natureshots
#pensthorpe
#pensthorpenaturalpark
#geocaching
#geocachingadventures
#geocachinguk
#geocaches
#geocacher
#relax
#mindfulness
#mindful
#meditation
#forests
#wellnesswednesdayContinuing this week’s theme for #NationalNestBoxWeek - Why not get involved with our wonderful bird spotting game this half term! An interactive game to play with the whole family in your garden or whilst out in your local park.
1) Download spotting sheet (link in bio)
2) See who can spot the most species within an hour - ticking them off on your spotting sheet.
3) Count up and see who spotted the most species to declare your WINNER!
*To expand on this game, you can look up the different types of nest boxes best suited for each of the listed bird species and draw them next to the bird. (Clue: Not every bird species has the same preferences when it comes to their ideal nest box!)
📷- Photography by Annie Kerridge
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#bringnaturehome #lockdownlife
#lockdownlessons
#helpfulresource
#wildlifeducation
#natureeducation
#educational
#Norfolk #NorthNorfolk #VisitNorfolk #visitnorthnorfolk #natureswonders #lovenature #naturelove #UKgardenbird #swift #Birding #Nature #Natureheals #Winterwellness #Winter #wellbeing #Pensthorpe #Pensthorpenaturalpark #nestbox #nestboxes #birdwatchingThis week celebrates #NationalNestBoxWeek.
Why are nest boxes so important? Breeding birds use natural sites such as holes in trees or old buildings to nest; however, nest boxes play a vital role in acting as replacements for these natural nest sites particularly when availability of these natural options have been diminished due to habitat loss or urbanisation.
Lost nesting sites have become a huge problem for swifts in particular. Swifts are known to pair for life and are said to meet their mate at the nesting site each year; this poses a problem when the birds return from wintering grounds to often find their nest site has gone.
Our Reserve Manager, Richard, talks about this issue in a blog, discussing how we have implemented specially designed ‘swift boxes’ onto the side of our indoor play area, Hootz House, with a hope of helping to boost swift numbers.
You can read Richard's blog via the link in our bio!
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#Norfolk #NorthNorfolk #VisitNorfolk #visitnorthnorfolk #natureswonders #lovenature #naturelove #UKgardenbird #swift #Birding #Nature #Natureheals #Winterwellness #Winter #wellbeing #Pensthorpe #Pensthorpenaturalpark #nestbox #nestboxes #birdwatchingTo celebrate #valentines day we wanted to share our love of nature with this wonderful video taken by Deb this week, capturing a perfect duo of an evening sunset and gentle snowfall.
What do you love most about nature? Comment below ❤️
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#ValentinesDay #Valentines #Love #LoveNature #Nature #natureheals
#naturegram
#nature_brilliance
#naturelove
#naturebeauty #Pensthorpe #PensthorpeNaturalPark #NorthNorfolk #Norfolk #Sunset #Snow #wintersceneA photo shared by our Head Gardener, Jonathan showing the heavy snowfall we have had in our Millennium Garden. Our Millennium Garden is an ever-changing spectacle throughout all four seasons!
📷 - Photography by our Head Gardener, Jonathan
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#Winterwellness #wellness #wellbeing #natureforsoul #healingnature
#thepowerofnature #natureheals #pensthorpe #pensthorpenaturalpark #wellnessjourney
#mentalhealth
#mentalhealthawareness
#mentalhealthmatters
#mentalwellness
#mentalwellbeing
#nature
#natureheals
#naturegram
#nature_brilliance
#naturelove
#naturebeauty
#mindfulness
#naturelover
#natureshots
#gardens #ukgardens #norfolkgardensIt’s #FlamingoFriday and Kat has put together some video footage showing our flamingo enclosure in this winter weather with a reminisce back to the outtakes taken of our flamingos over the last year.
During this winter weather our flamingos like to stay warm in their pen and nestle up next to each other for extra warmth! Apart from our flamboyance, who else is now looking forward to those sunny days ahead?
🎥 - With thanks to Kat MacPherson
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#flamingofriday
#flamingo
#FlamingosinNorfolk
#wetland
#wetlands
#wetlandbird
#weloveflamingos #mingo #flamingolove #pensthorpenaturalpark
#Norfolk #NorthNorfolk #naturereserve #naturereservesUK #Norwich #Pensthorpe #lovenature
#flamingos
#flamboyanceofflamingos
#wetlands
#wetlandconservation
#wetlandawareness
#iloveflamingos
#flamingofunOur friends at the Wensum Valley Birdwatching Society (WVBS) have put together a short blog discussing their latest monitoring activity at our reserve. The WVBS regularly visit Pensthorpe Natural Park to help collect meaningful data about bird species and numbers within the area.
Read more about their recent visit and their sightings via the link in our bio.
📷 - Photography by WVBS members
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#Birdwatching #Group #Northnorfolkbirdwatching #Birding #Nature #Pensthorpe #Pensthorpenaturalpark #Wildlife #NorthNorfolk #Norfolk #VisitNorfolk #VisitNorthNorfolk #Getoutdoors #Localwildlife #Birdsurvey #Birdmonitoring #winter #winterbirds
#naturereservesuk
#naturereserves
#conservation⠀
#sustainability⠀
#environment⠀
#norfolknaturereserve⠀
#lovenature⠀
#waderscrape⠀
#wadingbirds⠀F is for Forest bathing...
Forest bathing is a Japanese meditative practice founded within the 1980s. It is a practice of being calm and quiet within a forest atmosphere, whilst observing nature and focusing on your breathing. Forest bathing is believed to help boost our health and wellbeing, as well as reducing stress; it offers us an opportunity to escape from our computer and TV screens, which have undoubtedly been a focal distraction for many of us during this lockdown.
Using all of your senses perhaps think about how the forest makes you feel? Practice your observation skills and look at nature’s finest details; observe the tree trunk and the branches and see how they differ from each other.
Why not turn your mobile phone onto a silent mode and pick a time of day where the forest will be a little less busy to get the best chance of exploring the sights and sounds of a forest?
Visit our website to find our series of A-Z of Wellbeing so far. Link available in bio.
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#wellbeingwednesday
#wellbeing
#wellness
#wellnessjourney
#mentalhealth
#mentalhealthawareness
#mentalhealthmatters
#mentalwellness
#mentalwellbeing
#nature
#natureheals
#naturegram
#nature_brilliance
#naturelove
#naturebeauty
#mindfulness
#naturelover
#natureshots
#pensthorpe
#pensthorpenaturalpark
#forestbathing
#forest
#relax
#mindfulness
#mindful
#meditation
#forests
#wellnesswednesday
