It’s time to join in with the 30 Days Wild challenge and do one wild thing a day for a whole month!

The UK’s most popular nature challenge has grown a huge and dedicated fan base : more two million people have taken part over the last nine years.

Your daily wild activities can be anything you like - you might be having breakfast with the birds on Monday, feeling the grass between your toes on Tuesday, and watching wildlife webcams on Wednesday.

There’s no set structure, but The Wildlife Trusts have lots of ideas and inspiration to get you started and involved in ways that suit you.

Sign up online for a free pack with lots more information and inspiring activities including a wall chart posters and wild seeds.

The Trusts have also produced packs for schools, care homes and businesses, and last year hundreds of schools and 898 care homes joined in across the UK. Digital packs to download straight away are also available.

Anyone can take part in 30 Days Wild - because anyone can enjoy nature and the outdoors, whether you’re out watching wildlife every day or need a bit more help to feel in touch with the wildlife on your doorstep.

Taking part in 30 Days Wild has also been scientifically proven by leading academics to make you feel happier, healthier, and more connected to nature - it's the best excuse to do just one thing a day to deepen your connection with the outdoors, and it has led to a lasting habit for many people taking part!

30 Days Wild is funded thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

Here are a few ideas for a wilder week to get you started:

  • Monday: Get active in nature. Walk or cycle to work, ditch the gym and go for a run outdoors with the birdsong, go for a lunchtime walk! Enjoy a more pleasant commute or break than sitting staring at a screen, taking some fresh air and spending some time outside does wonders for your concentration.
  • Tuesday: Let your garden go wild. Some of the best plants for bees we class as weeds, and insects love those dark, rambling corners you keep meaning to tidy up. Take a stand for wildlife this June by doing – nothing!
  • Wednesday: Wildlife ID. Identify a critter or creature that’s new to you – with a little help if you need it! As well as traditional species identification guides, there are some fantastic free apps to help you build your wildlife knowledge. Seek, iNaturalist and Merlin Bird ID are all free and great places to start.
  • Thursday: Go out after dark. So much of our wildlife wakes up after the sun goes down, so the only way to see them is to do the same. Join a badger watch or a bat walk to meet these secret night-time wanderers.
  • Friday: Pick it up. From joining a beach clean to just picking up litter in your local park, give wildlife a hand by helping to clean up their home. Runners could join the growing ‘plogging’ trend – that’s jogging whilst litter-picking!
  • The weekend: Go wilder. Make the most of your wild weekends! Make your garden friendlier for wildlife by installing a bird box or container pond, try a new skill like foraging or pond dipping, or head out on a wild adventure to one of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s York reserves – Askham Bog, Allerthorpe Common, Moorlands and Strensall Common are all less than 10 miles away.

Great Yorkshire Creature Count

If you want a really wild June, meanwhile, get ready for the Great Yorkshire Creature Count on June 24 and 25.

Back for a fourth year, and bigger and wilder than ever before, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s regional wildlife census encourages people across Yorkshire to see what creatures and critters they can spot in their gardens and local green spaces in a forty-eight hour period.

Last year more 3000 people signed up to take part, with more than 15,000 creatures reported!

Taking part in the count is fun, free and easy to do. Everyone can take part no matter how big or small their green space is.

The Trust will provide everything needed, including a starting list of 30 creatures to look out for. So why not team up with (or compete against!) your neighbours and friends to see just how many creatures you can spot, count and record? You can take part all day, all weekend or for a few hours – whatever you have time for.

Taking part and find out more about the wildlife on your doorstep means we can do more to help care for it, and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust can provide you with advice and toolkits to do that.

Hannah Wheelwright, who took part last year, said, “Me and my daughter Emmie really enjoyed doing the Great Yorkshire Creature Count – Emmie took it very seriously! She is very motivated to find more species to catalogue – we will definitely be signing up to take part again.”

Find our more and sign up for 30 Days Wild and the Great Yorkshire Creature Count visit www.ywt.org.uk