As we spring towards February, I have some wooly company by the edge of the hedge, and I find myself drawn to the luminescent lichen on the hawthorn hedge, before heading back into the village to see the yellow beacons of floral groundcover that are the winter aconite in the churchyard. And on the way, coming across the chattering local starlings who’ve recently lost their regular perching site.

Recorded at the end of January, we're approaching the midpoint between Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, and the light is returning. Days are becoming longer, and nights, gradually shorter. We start, as usual, on the bench, at the edge of the hedge, along the Viking Way in Lincolnshire, with this time, two fields of hungry sheep for company, intrigued by what I'm doing near their patch. We take a closer look at the vibrant yellow lichens on the hawthorn hedge; the subtle gradients of colour along the hedgerow, from muddy ground to newly flail-cut hedge top. Then, on the way to see the sunny-soil-beacon display of Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) flowers in the village churchyard, situated under the gnarly Horse Chestnut tree, the local recently displaced starlings make a welcome chattering appearance. What a glorious sound!

Sources and further reading:

https://britishlichensociety.org.uk/learning/what-is-a-lichen

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/mutualism-examples-of-species-that-work-together.html

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/take-part/identify-nature/lichen-id-guide/index.dsml

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/pied-wagtail/

‘The Biology of Plants’. Peter Raven, Ray Evert, Susan Eichhorn.

‘Plant Names Simplified: Their Pronunciation, Derivation and Meaning.’ By A.T. Johnson and H.A. Smith.

‘Flora Britannica’. Richard Mabey.

‘The WIld Flower Key: How to identify wild flowers, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland.’ Francis Rose.

‘The WIld Flowers of Great Britain and Ireland’. Roger Phillips.

‘A Dictionary of Plant Lore’. Roy Vickery.

You can find augmented visual content relating to this episode, and other episodes, over at Edge of the Hedge's social media pages, on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. If you want to get in touch, to say hello or share your thoughts on aspects covered in this episode, please feel welcome to email me at edgeofthehedge@gmail.com

I always welcome Edge of the Hedge being tagged on social media, especially if you've been inspired to look closer at the landscape.

Edge of the Hedge podcast is entirely independent and self-funded, and if you've enjoyed it, and wish to 'buy me a coffee', I'm always grateful for your support. Thank you!

Edge of the Hedge is bourne out of a labour of love, of hoping to help people to find moments of peace, slow the walking pace, and look more deeply at the natural world that we share this planet with, with a hope that by looking more closer, and connecting more deeply with it, we'll take greater care of the planet, and share the stories we learn, to inspire others to connect more deeply.

If you want to read more about Hannah's wider work, as a Herbalist and Nature Educator, you can find her website here.

In this episode, it's approaching December's Winter Solstice, in Lincolnshire in the east of the UK, where Hannah (herbalist, nature educator and host) lives. We take a crunchy walk through the frozen landscape after an unusually hard frost, before going to meet a striking, berry-laden Holly tree in the village graveyard, and we hear what could well be a Mistle Thrush...

Heralded as the start of astronomical winter, winter solstice is the 24 hour period when there are the shortest number of daylight hours, so is often referred to as the 'shortest day'. The world 'solstice' is derived from the Latin 'sun stands still', and is where the sun appears to stop, before changing direction. Even though nature can appear bare and stark at this time of year, evergreen plants and trees still stand bold and strong in the landscape. The Holly tree (Ilex aquifolium) is one such evergreen. A tree steeped in rich history and folklore, and one that provides essential nesting cover for birds, and remains a valuable winter food source for them. There's a striking bird alarm call, of what Hannah thinks is a Mistle Thrush, whilst recording by the tree. A bird on the UK Red List of engangered species, and one that feasts on holly berries, as well as mistletoe berries, which is how it came by its name.

For this episode, Hannah has created a Spotify playlist of songs and music that have accompanied the creation of this episode, and capture the feel of the season. Enjoy! As with previous episodes, there'll also be accompanying pictures of the landscape and holly tree, shared over the coming weeks, over at Edge of the Hedge's social media pages, on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. If you want to get in touch, to say hello, share your thoughts on anything in this episode, or make a suggestion for music to add to the playlist, please feel welcome to email me at edgeofthehedge@gmail.com

Edge of the Hedge is bourne out of a labour of love, of hoping to help people to find moments of peace, slow the walking pace, and look more deeply at the natural world that we share this planet with, with a hope that by looking more closer, and connecting more deeply with it, we'll take greater care of the planet, and share t

You can find augmented visual content relating to this episode, and other episodes, over at Edge of the Hedge's social media pages, on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. If you want to get in touch, to say hello or share your thoughts on aspects covered in this episode, please feel welcome to email me at edgeofthehedge@gmail.com

I always welcome Edge of the Hedge being tagged on social media, especially if you've been inspired to look closer at the landscape.

Edge of the Hedge podcast is entirely independent and self-funded, and if you've enjoyed it, and wish to 'buy me a coffee', I'm always grateful for your support. Thank you!

Edge of the Hedge is bourne out of a labour of love, of hoping to help people to find moments of peace, slow the walking pace, and look more deeply at the natural world that we share this planet with, with a hope that by looking more closer, and connecting more deeply with it, we'll take greater care of the planet, and share the stories we learn, to inspire others to connect more deeply.

If you want to read more about Hannah's wider work, as a Herbalist and Nature Educator, you can find her website here.

This month, we'll be taking a walk along a hedgerow-lined path in Lincolnshire, slowing the walking pace, and noticing things perhaps otherwise unseen. And meeting a vibrant purple beacon in the July hedgerow - the Common Mallow, or Malva sylvestris.

Hannah shares some images of her walk with the Mallows, on the Edge of the Hedge instagram https://www.instagram.com/edgeofthehedge/

Shownotes to accompany this episode can be accesed here: http://thedistrictherbalist.co.uk/edge-of-the-hedge-episode-2-mallows-july/

You can find augmented visual content relating to this episode, and other episodes, over at Edge of the Hedge's social media pages, on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. If you want to get in touch, to say hello or share your thoughts on aspects covered in this episode, please feel welcome to email me at edgeofthehedge@gmail.com

I always welcome Edge of the Hedge being tagged on social media, especially if you've been inspired to look closer at the landscape.

Edge of the Hedge podcast is entirely independent and self-funded, and if you've enjoyed it, and wish to 'buy me a coffee', I'm always grateful for your support. Thank you!

Edge of the Hedge is bourne out of a labour of love, of hoping to help people to find moments of peace, slow the walking pace, and look more deeply at the natural world that we share this planet with, with a hope that by looking more closer, and connecting more deeply with it, we'll take greater care of the planet, and share the stories we learn, to inspire others to connect more deeply.

If you want to read more about Hannah's wider work, as a Herbalist and Nature Educator, you can find her website here.