Sense nature

A kingfisher at Holincote, Somerset | © National Trust Images/Barry Edwards

Whether you live in the country, a city or anywhere in-between, the natural world can always be a source of wellbeing and wonder. Our senses can help us stay in tune with nature. Find how you can use them to discover the plants and wildlife near you throughout the seasons.

In the BBC’s Hamza’s Hidden Wild Isles, wildlife cameraman and presenter, Hamza Yassin encourages us all to discover and experience nature around us throughout the year. We are co-producers on the programme and it’s an inspiring watch for anyone interested in getting closer to the natural world on your doorstep.

One of the best ways to encounter nature is to use all your senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell. In this guide, we’ll take you through the seasons, some of the plants and wildlife you can find by using your senses. There’s also a fun quiz to get you discovering nature around you, wherever you are and whatever the time of year.

Spring

Kingfisher (Alcedinidae) on the River Test — A kingfisher on the River Test, Mottisfont, Hampshire | © National Trust Images/Richard Bradshaw

Catch sight of a kingfisher

If you're down by a river, even in a city, look out for a flash of turquoise and orange. This could be a kingfisher. They dart low and fast along the surface of the water. A sighting is often preceded by a short high pitched call. You might also spot one perching on sticks and branches above the water looking out for fish. Kingfishers tend to start nesting around March but can be spotted in summer and autumn too. They start early as they're capable of raising several clutches of eggs in a single breeding season.

A boy carrying a bag of wild garlic at Prior Park in Somerset — A boy carrying a bag of wild garlic at Prior Park, Somerset | © National Trust Images/James Dobson

Taste wild garlic

You'll probably smell wild garlic before you see it. It grows in damp, wooded areas from late winter and has large green leaves with white flowers. You can wash the leaves well and eat them raw, or use them in cooking – the taste is a little milder than shop-bought garlic bulbs. When you're foraging don't uproot the plant, just take the leaves and flowers.

Blossom in Manchester | © National Trust Images/Annapurna Mellor

Watch blossom blooming

Blossom is one of the most obvious signs of spring. You can spot it emerging in countryside hedgerows or cherry trees in cities. Blossom blooms bring back colour after winter and helps to provide food for pollinators like bees. Look out for our celebration of blossom every spring. This includes events, activities or simply enjoying the blooms as they arrive at the places we care for and beyond.

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Summer

A fox cub at Arlington Court in Devon | © National Trust Images/Barry Edwards

Smell urban foxes

Foxes have really adapted to urban life and although they remain secretive, they've learned to live right by us, scavenging our food waste and finding homes in green spaces. They mark their territory with urine and pungent musky smelling secretions from glands around their bodies, including one on their tail. If you smell it in your garden or local park, there may be a fox hole nearby and even some cubs.

A child on a beach holds a large, spiral-shaped ammonite fossil — A child holds a fossil found on the Yorkshire Coast | © National Trust Images/Ian Shaw

Find some fossils

If you're heading for the beach, you might be touching ancient creatures in the rocks. Keep an eye out for the raised spirals of ammonites, shark teeth or even sponge-textured dinosaur bones as you walk the shore. There'll be interesting shells or stones to pick up and feel too. Please collect responsibly and leave plenty for others to enjoy.

Grasshopper in the meadow at Nuffield Place, Oxfordshire | © National Trust Images/Alex Prain

Listen out for musical insects

Take a walk in a summer meadow, or anywhere with long grass, and you might hear grasshoppers and crickets. They make their 'music' by rubbing their legs on their bodies or rubbing their wings together. These insects are an important food source for birds and small animals. They are also a sign of a healthy habitat and can be used for monitoring ecology.

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Autumn

A family exploring the grounds at Fyne Court, Somerset | © National Trust Images/James Dobson

Pick blackberries

Blackberry season is getting earlier due to changes in the climate. You might find the berries ripening in the summer months depending on the weather in your area. The plants thrive in often overlooked places, including abandoned land or along paths. Remember to leave some for the animals and birds that rely on them for food.

Geese flying over the lake in winter at Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire — Geese flying over the lake at Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire | © National Trust Images/Annapurna Mellor

Listen for geese migrating

While the familiar Canada geese stay in the UK year round, several other species of geese migrate from colder climates to spend winter with us. Pink-footed geese arrive from Iceland and Greenland, Brent geese from Siberia and Barnacle geese from Svalbard. You can hear them calling as they fly above and see them in local wetlands and coastal areas.

Beech leaves in autumn at Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire | © National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

Crunch some fallen leaves

One of the tell-tale signs of autumn is the leaves turning. With less sun each day and winter approaching, the chlorophyll pigment of the leaves reduces and their green colour fades. This 'reveals' the other colours in the leaves, anything from pale yellow to a deep, vibrant red. As they fall, an autumn walk can include plenty of crunching under foot.

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Winter

A murmuration of starlings soaring above trees in the evening sky at Studland Bay, Dorset — Murmuration of starlings at Studland Bay, Dorset | © National Trust Images/John Bish

Watch starling murmurations

Often seen above towns and cities, these mass displays of coordinated flight by starlings are a spectacular sight. You should head out at sunset for your best chance of seeing them. The flocks do this to outfox predators as it's harder to pick them off. Starling populations are falling but you can help them by keeping your lawn natural with longer grass, putting up bird boxes and having a shallow dish of water in the garden for them to drink in hot summers and cold winters.

Animal tracks lead through the dunes at Formby, Liverpool | © National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

Spot animal tracks

If you're going on a winter walk, look out for animal and bird tracks. Although some animals, like hedgehogs, bats and dormice, hibernate during the colder months, plenty of other wildlife is still out and about. Spot otter tracks in the mud next to rivers; sea birds on beaches; and fox, rabbit or deer pawprints in the snow. You can help animals in the winter in several ways. Piles of leaves can provide a snug sleeping or resting place for animals, so don't burn them. You could also create a pond as a home for amphibians, or put up a bat box for a safe hibernation spot.

Mother and child bug-spotting under the bark of a tree stump at Sheringham Park, Norfolk — Bug-spotting at Sheringham Park, Norfolk | © National Trust Images/Trevor Ray Hart

Touch tree bark

With the leaves gone, winter is a great time to take a look at the bark, trunks and branches that form deciduous trees. Notice which ones are rough like oak or evergreen pine and which are smooth like silver birch and cherry. Bark is the tree's first line of defence, much like our skin. It protects the inner trunk and branches from insects, parasite plants and hungry animals. Smooth bark gives better protection as insects and ivy can't get hold as easily but it also grows slower. Oak trees have bark that grows four times faster than beech.

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