Hi Compassionates,
Happy Astronomical spring! According to the position of the earth, in relation to the sun, and the jumping of clocks in March, it appears a blog post is overdue. And more importantly we now have more light in our day to spend more time outdoors, hooray!
That’s if we can overcome the mental barrier of relentless rain, and fluctuating British temperatures. Grrrrr!! 🙂 Perhaps it’s sensible to hold out for just a few degrees more in temperature, to avoid the uncomfortable feeling of being wet and cold. But let’s face it, if we did that, we’d be waiting forever, which means we miss out on so much! 🙂
I’ve been gently encouraging myself by putting on an extra layer, and some waterproofs. Shopping for outdoor clothing can be quite good fun, and can give us the extra encouragement we need to build resilience whatever the weather, so we can keep witnessing the amazing transformations taking place in the natural world.
Epping Forest is a good place to witness those transformations. One of my first sightings of Spring this year was a single ornate branch of white blossom, suspended against a deep blue sky. Its purity, and growth a deep contrast to the death and decay of the forest surrounding it. Then came the gentle unfurling of green leaves from burgundy pointed buds, giving rise to soft emerald, crinkled leaves that looked good enough to eat, tossed in a salad 🙂
And fairy green longhorn moths, resting on those crinkled leaves, in great numbers so I discovered. Easily missed, due to their micro size. It was only because I paused to examine the crinkled pattern of the leaves, with an inquisitive look on my face, to ponder their design, that I spotted them. Shining, iridescent colours, golden and green.
So delicate and ethereal, the fairy moth boasts a massive wing span of 14-18 mm. They have black, furry faces, lending an endearing quality, and thread-like antennae arching from fluffy faces. If someone were to write a fairy tale about Epping Forest then these moths should definitely be in it 🙂
And as well as delightful sights, there have also been many delightful sounds. On very windy days, the haunting creaking of ancient tree’s, bending under their own weight, accompanied by the echo of the woodpeckers drumming. Like shamanic drums capable of altering states of awareness 🙂
And now we are well into April, the forest has transformed again into an artist’s palette, with many remarkable shades of green, from ground, to the forest canopy. With smatterings of pinks, blues, purples, yellows and whites. Wild flowers dotted along grassy verges. It’s a feast for the senses!
Whether it’s in the forest, your local green space, or garden, I really hope you get mindful time outdoors through the season.
Little Miss Compassion x
planetcompassion.org 