Press flowers, seeds and leaves

In the midst of Nature's abundance at the onset of Summer, a wonderful passtime or hobby for the month of June that can be enjoyed on your own, as a group or especially with children, is flower and leaf collecting, pressing and creativity.

The magical thing about this form of creativity using Nature's treasures is that it doesn't have to cost anything to preserve a cut a flower which normally lasts around 7 days. When you press a flower it can last forever and provide a wonderful material from which to create your own original artwork or other memorabilia that can be kept for a lifetime.

I have always loved collecting flowers and leaves - so much so that they tend to fall out of old books I have forgotten about. It immediately takes me back to the memory of picking the flowers and pressing them to find one day in the future. Now I collect flowers and leaves that catch my eye on all my walks and press them naturally over a period of time. It's fun to discover how they have dried, or kept their colour and shape through the drying process.

You can store your dried pieces in boxes or special containers in a dry place at room temperature to ensure you have a constant supply for creating cards, pictures, herboriums and other creative artworks through the seasons.

Remember that there are certain laws and regulations in place to protect wildflowers in the British Isles, especially if they are endangered species. These must be abided by so it is important to familiarise yourself with the wildflowers to avoid. Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 contains the full list which you can refer to.

Pressing flowers, seeds and leaves is a healthy pursuit that everyone can enjoy and for good reason:

• It encourages you to get outside and appreciate Nature.
• It gives you the pleasure of displaying pressed flowers around your home.
• It provides the chance to get creative with composition and application.
• Its a gentle process that encourages you to slow down, relax and allow your creative mind to flow.

Build a birdbath hub

I would love to have a large birdbath in my garden but its too tiny so I make do with small bowls of water often used by the birds and insects for drinking purposes only. It is a wonderful way to invite songbirds to into your garden where they can wash off their dusty feathers and cool themselves down in the heat of the Sun.

Robins

Robins often return to the same garden or local area year after year to breed and forage for food. Despite their short lifespan, they are highly loyal to territories that provide reliable food and shelter through the generations.

Blue Tits

Blue Tits occupy many varied sites to build their nests including holes in pipes, lamp standards (street lights) and post boxes. Gardens are provide food and potential nest site cavities in trees, old walls and garden nestboxes too.

Sparrows

Sparrows are opportunist feeds who have short wings and are not strong fliers. This means they prefer feeders which are place near small trees, dense shrubs, hedges and ivy where they can quickly dart into cover.

Blackbird

Blackbird nest in shrubs, trees, climbers and even inside buildings. The females like to build them low down with appropriate cover and prefer open fronted nestboxes with nests taking up to two weeks to be fully assembled.

Wren

Wrens are incredibly rare to spot, even though they are among the most common breeding birds in the British Isles. This is because they are so tiny and dart through dense vegetation and leaf litter with a mouse-like speed.

Dunnock

Dunnocks are discreet and slender with soft brown and grey feathers that can sometimes be seen scurrying under hedges. They are primarily ground-feeding brids so you are more likely to see them foraging under the feeder.

Goldfinch

Goldfinches are highly colourful with their bright red faces and yellow-and-black wings. They are frequent visitors to garden bird feeders and as they travel in flocks (or charms), you will often see several crowding a feeder at once.

I hope you enjoy making the most of Nature through June for your good health, happiness and wellbeing. I look forward to seeing you here for the next Almanac on 1 July 2026.

Sue Cartwright

Spiral Leaf