Rewild Yourself: 23 Spellbinding Ways to Make Nature More Visible

"We're not just losing the wild world. We're forgetting it."

Thus Simon Barnes, Nature Lover Extraordinaire, begins his book Rewild Yourself. He proposes twenty-three simple ways to reawaken yourself to the magic of the natural world.

His proposals are magic. He suggests stopping by a buddleia tree, a tree that attracts scores of butterflies, and discovering the names of some of the butterflies that alight there. He offers the idea of listening to the birds and finding out what birds make the songs we hear.

He reveals lots of other ideas of discovering the magic that is right in front of our eyes and ears but that we have lost the ability to see and hear.

The book focuses on England and the English, but it's quite simple to adapt the ideas show more for our own specific parts of the world. show less

Simon Barnes shares 23 chapters of "magical" tricks or spells to re-wild yourself. These spells will help the reader become more aware of the natural world around them. These are actually simple tricks that are told in an entertaining collection of short chapters. A word of caution. The author is British, so some of the advice and examples reference butterflies and other things that are not the same as the United States, but a little personal research can be used to adapt to our location. The chapters are still informative and fun to read.

There are a large number of people who only go outside if they have to, moving between house and car, car and office and almost never take the time to walk away from the asphalt, away from the modern technology and rediscover the wild. The evidence is starting to grow too that this is an essential part of our psyche and how spending just a short amount of time outdoors has significant short and long term benefits.

With the aim of encouraging people to head outdoors, Simon Bares has selected twenty-three different simple steps that anyone can do for almost no budget or a very small one. Example of the ideas that he suggests are always taking a plastic bag with you as the best way to start to see wildlife is to sit still and to sit still show more for a long time, it is not easy doing so with a wet bum. The same logic applies to getting waterproof trousers to make it more comfortable when out and about in inclement weathers. He will suggest when it is in your interest to spend some money. For example, investing in a bat detector or buying a decent set of binoculars will pay dividends. He recommends buying the best you can afford with sound advice on what to get depending on the sorts of things that you are wanting to look at.

The best thing about this book is that it is peppered with advice about the inexpensive ways to see wildlife. Taking time to slow down and let it come to you rather than crashing through the undergrowth and scaring it away. Also, sage wisdom is taking the time to celebrate everything that you see. You should get the same pleasure as you would seeing a red admiral as you would a purple emperor, Barnes argues.

The most important thing that you can do though is to invest time in getting outdoors and seeing what is around in your local area. For those that can't do that, then put out bird feeders and put plants in your garden that attract insects. Start off simply and build up. You do not need to be an expert, just a change in attitude and the wild world can be yours. show less

Lovely book of essays with insightful and often humorous tips on tuning into the world just beyond the business of the everyday.

A lovely book that makes everyday nature seem completely accessible. Lovely little read!

Pure magic. I wish this had been about my location!