Rain at Last
I love the sunshine but it was good to see the rain again
As I started writing this, the UK was experiencing the driest start to a year since 1964. Scotland, a place we think of as rainy, might have been facing a hosepipe ban if we hadn’t got the rain that started a few days ago. So things really could have been serious!
Even though the rain has returned, we need still more if we are to get up to the average rainfall expected for May. Plus, given the changing climate, we need to develop more careful habits around water use. Here are some ideas to help you conserve water from The Wildlife Trusts, and Thomas Winward at Urban Nature Diary recently wrote an excellent article about rethinking our relationship with water.
Oddly enough, most of our vegetation in Edinburgh was still looking green after such a long dry period, though in some places the green was faded and there were areas of yellow grass, but until you saw dry soil, cracked with the heat, you wouldn’t think we had been facing a near drought.
Of course, everyone talks about the ‘glorious weather’ and it is glorious when it’s warm and sunny, but we desperately need the rain. Over the past few days. we have had a good amount of gentle rain to soften up the soil and we could now do with a few more days (not necessarily consecutively!) of heavier rain to fill up the reservoirs and rivers. If too much rain falls too suddenly, then the water will just rush off the dry land, risking floods. This has always been the case, but it seems as though climate change is making it more likely that we'll face long periods of dry weather followed by long periods of rain. This is discussed well in this article.
But as well as needing the rain, might we need a different attitude to rain? In Botswana, the currency is the Pula, which is also the word for rain, because in that very dry country, they understand at a very basic level, that rain is a blessing. In Scotland, we generally take rain for granted and last year was so rainy that we barely saw the sunshine for months. I found very few butterflies faring the surveys I was carrying out, much other wildlife was badly affected too.
So it’s understandable that we value warm weather and sunshine, after all scarcity increases perceived value! But much though I love walking in the sunshine and not needing a raincoat or an umbrella and everything looks so much more cheerful in the sunshine, I also appreciate the chance to sit quietly and watch the rain or to take a short walk in gentle rain. Even getting caught in a rainstorm can be an enjoyable experience, if you’re wearing the right clothes and can quickly return to somewhere warm and dry for a nice hot drink afterwards!
If you search online ‘activities for a rainy day’ most articles that come up will be for things to do indoors. However, if you want to enjoy the rain itself, then the National Trust has an inspiring list of outdoor ‘activities to do when it’s raining’, part of their ‘50 things to do before you’re 11¾’ list (and there are plenty of activities here that are worth trying even if you’re well over 11¾!) Personally I love watching the rain fall on water!
Join In with 30 Days Wild
It’s not too late to sign up for 30 Days Wild, the annual challenge from The Wildlife Trusts to get you out and about and enjoying nature, helping your local wildlife and sharing your creative responses to the natural world. Sign up here. I’ll be posting about 30 Days Wild during June.
Children’s Gardening Week (24 May - 1 June)
The warm weather means children can see speedy results of seed sowing, planting and other gardening activities!
What I’ve Been Watching
BBC Springwatch has become a bit of an institution for nature lovers in the UK. It’s aimed at a general audience and doesn’t assume any detailed knowledge of nature, but at the same time adds in enough interesting observations and science for all keen naturalists!
Presented by Iolo Williams (one of the Springwatch presenters) this programme follows four rivers through Wales, looking at landscape, history and wildlife. Iolo is a Welsh speaker and as well as presenting English language programmes like this, he also presents Welsh language nature programmes.
What I’m Reading
Riddled with Life by Marlene Zuk is a fascinating exploration of parasites, both in human diseases and in the wider natural world.
A great piece highlighting a really important issue. Too much of what we usually call 'good' weather can so easily become a bad thing. I was thinking of writing something on this myself before we finally had some rain recently.
Lancashire is notoriously wet, but even our local water company recently sent out emails about reservoir levels (60% full compared the usual 90%), asking people to be cautious about water use. It's extraordinary to think about how many days went by without the need for a coat. So the return of the rain feels like such a blessing.