Young wildlife lovers unleash creativity at Wimbledon Common

A group of young creatives foraged for flowers and leaves to create their own ‘nature cloths’ in Wimbledon Common yesterday.

The Wimbledon Common Nature Club, supported by the London Wildlife Trust, hosted the morning session which saw children and their families set off on a walk through the common to look for flowers, leaves and grasses to press into their cloth. 

On the way, the group spotted ragwort – which the Cinnabar moth caterpillar feeds on – and noticed thistle heads with seeds that birds enjoy. 

Back at the Information Centre the children – aged between six and 14 years old – used rubber mallets to hammer their floral finds into linen cloths.

Auriel Glanville, club leader, said: “I was so impressed with the children’s creativity, such colourful cloths that they can treasure to remind them of a happy morning spent on Wimbledon Common.”

The next free Wimbledon Common Nature Club session, Butterflies, will be on August 4. Visitors are asked to meet at the Information Centre at 10am.

For more information visit: https://wimbledoncommonnatureclub,carrd.co

Pictured top: From Left, Hugo Hatts Page, seven,  Ashby Hatts Page, five, Siena Hatts Page, nine, Diego Garcia, six, Rosy English, eight and Charlie Marrett, eight, holding up their flowers on Wimbledon Common (Picture: Auriel Glanville)