June's Wild Notes
sweet stillness and the first orchid
Welcome to Wild Notes, my monthly letter to everyone following Wild Revival. I’m Jo, a forager and creative who finds both relief and inspiration in Nature, and this publication is where I share my seasonal noticings and plant wisdom with you. Think of it as a gentle prompt to get outside and interact with Nature in a way that feels nourishing to you. I’m so glad you’re here!
Hello Wild Ones,
Two whole months have passed since I wrote you a Wild Note! What have you been doing in that time? I’ve been swimming in the sea once a week, watering my vegetable plants, endless endless parenting, and lots of walking and sitting in the sunshine.
Nature is a balm for my grief, for my anger, for my anxiety. And by that I mean the sight of the full moon from behind clouds through the window while I’m trying to coax my teens into bed. Or the feel of the sun on my skin as I lay back down on my bed after the boys have left for school at 8.30am to let my nervous system settle. Or the repeated sightings of Swifts flying and dipping just over my head as I walk home from the studio over the golf course. Or the first smell of the Elderflowers last week.
Nature comes into my awareness now with very little effort, but it wasn’t always like this. I used to feel so disconnected, wondering what those flowers were on my walk to work, hearing about full moons and meteor showers after they’ve happened and feeling disappointed, going to the beach for a swim and realising it’s low tide. But I don’t feel my journey was hard, it’s simply practice. It’s just choosing to step outside for 5 minutes. You don’t need to buy identification books or go on a course, change your job or move house, it really is in your perception and awareness.
It starts with being. And I urge you to be outside.
It doesn’t need to be a big move like taking a day off work and climbing a hill (although it could be!), it could be as small as opening the front door with your morning drink and looking at the sky.
Join me on the Solstice?
On Sunday 21st June I’ll be doing a special event with my good friend Alex from Patchouli Yoga on Spittal Beach in Berwick. We will be moving our bodies with Alex and then sharing foraged tea in a ceremony led by me. We will be tapping into the Solstice energy with the help of Wild Rose, and I can’t wait! Find all the details on the events page below.
Check out Alex from Patchouli Yoga on Instagram.
Other ways to engage with me
Coming up in September I’m working towards Berwick’s first Open Studios festival, and will be opening my Wild Studio doors for two weekends. I’m currently making new work with my wild plant inks, here are a few in-progress/in-process photos!
I’ll share with you closer to the time about Open Studios so you can write it in your diaries, and before that I will (probably. intending to.) have some work up for sale on my website shop.
If you’d like to book me for a group workshop in or around Berwick, do get in touch. I don’t have the capacity for creating a programme of events this year but I’m more than happy to run some foraging/creative/medicinal sessions with existing groups. Email me at woodland-jo@outlook.com or have a look at my website.
And of course, you can upgrade to a paid subscriber here in the Wild Revival substack community, to get more posts by me. Last week I shared an in-depth look at Garlic Mustard with a pdf download, and coming up is still a surprise as I haven’t decided which plant I will write about yet! But expect recipes, pictures, stories and how to identify eat and/or use plants of this season.
See you outside…possibly in a stream…
Jo xxx
Hi Jo! Thank you for the update and tour of your land and beauties. It is pouring rain this afternoon and everything is super green. I am sad that the rain will knock off all the blooming wild rhododendrons on top of the mountain. My hope was to see them today. I am sitting next to a pitcher of wild daisies which are making me happy. I wish I could celebrate solstice with you. What a treat. I am going to search out a live event to ring in Summer. I love seeing your creative practice. Thanks for the peak. 🥰
Pleased to see your pucture of the Southern marsh orchid, Jo. I saw them at the Haven this morning and google lens told me that was their name, but it seemed unlikely, given that we are neither southern nor marsh!