Volunteering for Nature

It's 30 Days Wild this month and Volunteers Week this week so I thought I'd write a bit about my conservation volunteering.

As many readers of this blog know I regularly volunteer with  Water of Leith Conservation Trust, helping to look after part of this river which runs through Edinburgh.

At the moment the buttercup meadows are beautifully in bloom along the river

this particular meadow should be full of orchids in a few weeks!

I was also pleased to see lots of bees and mayflies today (mostly moving too quickly for me to even attempt to photograph, but wonderful to see) and this lovely Helophilus hoverfly (sometimes known as the footballer hoverfly) - click on the photo for a closer look, my camera zoom failed me when I tried to take a closer shot.

As well as recording wildlife, I pick litter along this stretch of the river and also note any problems along the way. Today I noticed that someone had lit a bonfire in the base of a tree, luckily the tree doesn't appear to be damaged but it's sad to see that kind of thing.

Volunteering outdoors with a conservation organisation means I'm doing something practical to help nature, helps me to develop my wildlife identification skills and helps keep me fit and healthy!

I also volunteer as a campaigner for Woodland Trust, helping to protect woodlands that may be under threat from development. Plus, raising awareness of initiatives such as the Tree of the Year (which I blogged about here). If you're in the UK, you can nominate your tree of the year here.

Are you a conservation volunteer? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments!