We are calling on local naturalists and the general public alike to help carry out a Big Wildlife Count at Spring Wood near Whalley this year.
Spring Wood is well known for its amazing springtime woodland flowers, with wood anemones, bluebells and wild garlic carpeting the ground in April and May. But you can help record what other wildlife lives there throughout the year, by getting involved with the 'Spring Wood Big Wildlife Count' which is taking place from now until March 2022.
This can be done at your own leisure, either on your own, with family and friends, or with your local naturalist group. Simply download the iNaturalist app, create your own log in, and record the species you find at Spring Wood. This can include anything from fungi, flora and fauna, trees or insects.
Speaking about the project, Farming and Wildlife Officer for the Pendle Hill Landscape Partnership and Forest Of Bowland AONB Sarah Robinson said "We are really hoping that people can jump on board and help us collect as much data about the wildlife in Spring Wood as possible. People have recently made stronger connections than ever to nature, and it really is a fantastic way of reducing stress levels and gaining a sense of wonder. Taking the time to notice and record our local nature and wildlife can have huge benefits to our mental health and wellbeing, so this is a great project to get involved with."
iNaturalist is an app which enables you to share pictures of your findings with a global network of like-minded people, and with scientists who study biodiversity. By recording and sharing what you see, not only are you connecting to nature and creating valuable scientific data in the process, but you are learning more about nature and playing a key role in this local study.