Cambridge Nature Festival

The first Cambridge Nature Festival includes over 70 events and activities with something for all ages, abilities and interests and runs until the end of June. There will be BioBlitzes, guided nature walks, live music, wildlife workshops, art exhibitions, hands-on creative activities and much more. Most of the events are free or low cost and will take place in Cambridge and the surrounding countryside.

It’s week two and the festival is in full swing! Events this week include a Cambridge Wildlife Safari Trail from the Museum of Zoology. Follow the map and clues to discover the plants and animals that live in these city centre wildlife havens. 

Experience the wonderful Wicken Fen nature reserve a different way with The National Trust on a 50-minute relaxing and peaceful boat trip. Also from the National Trust, Anglesey Abbey are offering their “Heartbeat Walks” to get out and about in nature whilst improving health. 

Cambridge Past Present and Future will be holding a Tree Identification Walk – a gentle guided walk around beautiful Wandlebury Country Park with a knowledgeable warden to learn about our native trees. 

Talks this week are for those that love butterflies and include an online talk from the Museum of Zoology titled “Extinction and re-establishment of the large blue butterfly in Britain” by Professor Jeremy A Thomas. Here, he discusses identifying the specialisations that led to the large blue’s extinction, and how these key insights were applied to generate its successful re-introduction. 

An in-person talk from the Museum of Zoology takes place on Thursday 9th June at Wandlebury Country Park titled “Using butterflies to understand past and present change, and inform future conservation” by Edgar Turner, Curator of Insects at the Museum of Zoology.
Ever been to a Bioblitz? Hobson’s Conduit Trust will be holding one on June 10th and 11th where the public can get hands-on experience with helping to survey Cambridge’s wonderful wildlife! Timetabled events led by enthusiastic experts include small mammal identification, bat detection, moth trapping, bird spotting, butterfly identification, plant identification, examining freshwater invertebrates and guided walks along Hobson’s Brook.

Cambridge University Botanic Garden will be celebrating the wonder of plants when the garden is in full bloom on 11th June with their Festival of Plants. A fun-filled, fact-finding day out with something for everyone to enjoy: from gardeners to budding plant scientists; families to photographers or anyone looking to spend an interesting day in the Garden when it is brimming with summer colour.

The festival is being organised by local charity Cambridge Past, Present and Future, in collaboration with The Wildlife Trust BCN, National Trust, RSPB, Cambridge City Council, Cambridge Sports Lake Trust, South Cambridgeshire District Council, Magog Trust and Cambridge University Botanic Garden. 

The festival is also raising awareness of the Cambridge Nature Network, a large-scale initiative to enable nature to recover in the Cambridge area. www.cambridgenaturenetwork.org.