Wild Friends and Connection to Place
First Published in Otherways Magazine, Issue 167, February 2021, Home Education Network, pp. 35
Beams of winter sun peeking through dark clouds warmed our faces as we set off, beanies, smiles and a bag of snacks accompanying us on our adventure. We had discovered lots of rubbish the day before lining a section of our local creek, accounting for my bulging pockets filled with plastic bags. As we walked the bank we bundled bits of plastic, styrafoam, chip packets and coke bottles into the bags, talking about the ducks, the frogs, the tiny insects and plants that call this creek home.
I could almost see the threads of connection strengthening between us and the creek and the life within. There was something about the custodianship, a tending that felt intimate. We ventured on, through mud and grasses, to a place we’d never explored before.
We came to a clearing and stopped in our tracks ‘Berries!’ my kids exclaimed, almost in unison. In a flurry of excitement they ran to the bushes dripping with hundreds of purple berries, hanging like Christmas decorations. Our family have been really exploring foraging this year, and have had many conversations around safety regarding wild foods. We took time to really examine the plant, the leaves and fruit, we took photos and collected a handful of berries that we carefully wrapped in a hankie to take home.
It was straight home from there, the quick way, all eager for identification. Gum boots were kicked off and field guides quickly located. To our delight we discovered we had met Lilly Pilly, and yes, the berries were edible and swiftly devoured! The crunchy and sour goodness surprising us all. In no time at all our gumboots were back on, collection containers at the ready and we had set off again, back down the creek...
In bed that night discussion centred around Lilly Pilly and our exciting day. It was very clear that we had met a new friend. It felt exciting and new. This sparked our thinking about other friends we’ve met recently, chickweed, saffron milkcap, prickly current. I was astonished at the clarity of memory we all had, we remembered the exact day we’d met these friends too!
When we think of our children’s friendships we often think of playmates, cousins, school friends. But our kids can also have wild friends, friends that bring us into deep connection with the natural world. Maybe there is something deep within us that yearn for these wild connections with the friends that are all around, just waiting for our eyes to see. As parents we can help foster these relationships and guide or children back into the arms of nature.
I hope to inspire others to make some wild friends.
The resources we use for wild foods are; Bush Foods by Jamie Simpson; Weed Foragers Handbook by Adam Grubb and Annie Raser-Rowland; Wild Food Plants of Australia by Tim Low; as well as the PlantSnap App and specific books for fungi.
Walls, B 2021, 'Wild Friends & Connection to Nature', Otherways Magazine, Issue 167, February 2021, Home Education Network, pp. 35
