Whether you are fascinated by wildlife, curious about ecology, enjoy creative outdoor activities or simply want to spend more time noticing the world around you, Explore the Wild offers a chance to experience nature differently across the changing seasons.

Most sessions last 2 to 3 hours and include refreshments unless otherwise stated.

Please note that while some sessions are suitable for all ages, many activities are designed for older children and young people with an interest in nature, ecology, science and creativity, rather than very young children.

2026 Explore the Wild Calendar

Saturday 30th May 2026: BioBlitz - Family and all ages. Kickstarting the series with a seasonal BioBlitz, exploring the woods to discover and record the wildlife around us as spring arrives in full force.

Saturday 27th June 2026: Wildflower Walk - Ages 10+. A guided walk through the woods to observe native flowers in bloom, learn field sketching techniques and practise the art of observing without picking.

Saturday 25th July 2026: What the Trees See – Cyanotypes (Light Photography) - Ages 7+. Funded by a Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Grow Wild Youth Grant, this creative workshop explores traditional cyanotype photography inspired by woodland life and sunlight.

Tuesday 18th August 2026: The Nature of Sound – Evening Bat Walk & Survey - Ages 7+ (children must be accompanied by an adult). An evening bat walk and survey exploring how bats navigate through sound and darkness, using specialist bat survey equipment.

Saturday 5th September: What the Trees See – Cyanotypes (Light Photography) 2 - Ages 7+. Funded by a Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Grow Wild Youth Grant, this creative workshop explores traditional cyanotype photography inspired by woodland life and sunlight. Open to previous and new participants.

Saturday 12th September 2026: End of Season BioBlitz - Family and all ages. A second seasonal BioBlitz to observe how the woodland has changed as autumn approaches and wildlife prepares for colder months.

Saturday 19th September: What the Trees See – Cyanotypes (Light Photography) 3 - Ages 7+. Funded by a Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Grow Wild Youth Grant, this creative workshop explores traditional cyanotype photography inspired by woodland life and sunlight. Open to previous and new participants.

Wednesday 7th October 2026: Autumn & Winter Wildlife ID - Learn how to identify wildlife, seasonal changes, tracks, signs and species active during the colder months.

Friday 20th November 2026: Cabinets of Curiosity: Collecting & Displaying - A creative and scientific session exploring historical natural collections, specimen displays and the stories objects from nature can tell.

Meet Kanchi

Kanchi Mehta is a Biology graduate and aspiring ecologist who works with Andover Trees to care for the environment. She specialises in bugs and is passionate about helping others learn to care for and love nature. Alongside ecology, Kanchi is also an artist and wildlife fact aficionado who loves working with the local community and finding creative ways to inspire curiosity about the natural world.

A New Monthly Nature Series Launches at Andover Trees United

Where ecology, creativity and curiosity meet

This month, Andover Trees United is proud to launch an exciting new programme designed to help people of all ages connect more deeply with the natural world.

Explore the Wild is a brand new monthly event series led by our 2026 Ecology Intern, Kanchi Mehta, bringing together ecology, science, creativity and outdoor exploration in the heart of our woodlands.

Running throughout the seasons, taking place once a month, these immersive sessions invite participants to notice nature in new ways whether that’s identifying wildlife during a BioBlitz, sketching wildflowers in bloom, learning how bats navigate using sound, or creating beautiful cyanotype “light photographs” (sponsored by Grow Wild) inspired by the woodland itself.

At Andover Trees United, inspiring and educating people - especially young people - about the environment sits at the core of our mission. We believe that creating meaningful experiences in nature helps build lifelong curiosity, care and understanding for the world around us.

Explore the Wild has been carefully designed to do exactly that. Sessions combine hands-on learning with scientific observation and art, encouraging participants to ask questions, explore ecosystems and understand how wildlife and habitats change throughout the year. Many of the activities also blend creativity with ecology, showing that science and art can work together to deepen our appreciation of nature.

The series launches on Saturday 30th May 2026 with a Spring BioBlitz, inviting nature lovers of all ages to head into the woods with nature backpacks and identification guides to record and share wildlife discoveries as spring bursts into life.

Join Us

For more information, contact: Kanchi Mehta - kanchi.mehta@andovertrees.org.uk

The Wonderful World of Wildflowers

Take a Look at this month’s Explore the Wild, exploring the fascinating world of our chalkmeadows and their wildflowers in this video created for us by Paul Bevan:

A Day of Cyanotypes, Trees and Connection

Explore the Wild Cyanotypes is a Grow Wild Youth Project

Saturday 28th July 2026

Our Explore the Wild cyanotypes event was everything we hoped it would be—and more. We welcomed an incredible turnout, with even more people joining us than we expected, making it a fantastic day of creativity, curiosity, and connection with nature.

The pace of the day was wonderfully relaxed. Together, we wandered through the woods, taking time to really notice the trees around us. It was a chance to slow down, look closely, and build a deeper sense of empathy for the natural world.

One of the highlights of the day was meeting Gaia, a fellow bug enthusiast who travelled down from Kew to document and take part in the event. Her passion for wildlife was infectious, and it was a real pleasure to have her join us. Sharing the day with people who care so deeply about nature made the experience even more special.

Of course, the cyanotype process itself was a huge hit. Watching plants, leaves, and natural textures transform into beautiful blue prints never loses its magic, and it was wonderful to see everyone experimenting, exploring, and creating their own unique pieces inspired by the woodland around them.

We're already looking forward to the next sessions! We have plenty of exciting developments planned, including improved cameras that will produce even better images, take home camera kits for participants to explore with, and the first steps towards creating our collaborative public artwork.

We have planned 2 more cyanotype sessions which will include new and improved designs in response to feedback. We are hoping for even clearer images and cameras that are better built!

The next session will be in Saturday August 22ndand
The last session will be Saturday September 19th

Thank you to everyone who came along and made the day such a success. We can't wait to welcome you back into the woods for the next chapter of Explore the Wild. We hope to see you at the next one!

Finding Bats and Being Biologists

We had a fantastic turnout for our recent bat walk, with a great group of people coming along to discover more about these fascinating nocturnal mammals.

As the evening got darker, we began by talking about bats and how they use echolocation to navigate and find their food. We also had the opportunity to learn about bat detectors and how these clever devices allow us to hear the ultrasonic calls that bats make – sounds that are normally far beyond the range of human hearing.

Once darkness fell, it wasn't long before the detectors started picking up activity. We were delighted to spot several pipistrelle bats flying around the area, giving everyone a wonderful opportunity to see these small, fast-moving bats in action. Listening to their calls through the detectors made the experience even more exciting and helped us understand just how active the night-time world can be.

It was lovely to see so many people taking an interest in our local wildlife, and the enthusiasm and questions from the group made for a really enjoyable evening.

A big thank you to everyone who came along and helped make the bat walk such a success. We hope it has inspired everyone to look and listen a little more closely for bats – and perhaps join us again for another wildlife adventure soon!

UPCOMING

Explore the Wild sessions combine hands-on learning with scientific observation and art, encouraging participants to ask questions, explore ecosystems and understand how wildlife and habitats change throughout the year. Many of the activities also blend creativity with ecology, showing that science and art can work together to deepen our appreciation of nature.

The series continues on Saturday the 12TH of September with Our AGM BioBlitz

Come down if you have a tween interested in joining our Tree Ents Youth Club to meet Kanchi, our youth lead, who will be running the sessions

Join Us

Free for ATU members

For more information, contact: Kanchi Mehta - kanchi.mehta@andovertrees.org.uk

Ages 7+ (under 16’s to be accompanied by a parent or guardian). Time 7-9:30