Re(ad)wild for Earth Day! (Part 1)

I've been sitting on numerous blog ideas lately and resolved that I would write this one. Yesterday was Earth Day but we like to celebrate Earth Day all week ... and month ... and year. A favorite activity at home, which Ana and the Wild whole-heartedly endorse, is making and planting/launching seed bombs, or balls if you prefer a more benign designation. Seed bombs are a fun and easy DIY activity that aids rewilding.

What's rewilding? Rewilding aims to restore ecosystems to their natural state by allowing nature to regenerate with minimal human intervention. It usually involves reintroducing (native or indigenous) species that have been driven out. It also means protecting wilderness areas (a.k.a. the Wild) and enhancing biodiversity. These conservation strategies help promote sustainable ecosystems, which we and future generations need to survive and thrive. Check out this cool rewilding podcast to learn more!

Best of all? Rewilding is something you can do at home ... or close to home.

So, back to the seed bombs. The first step is to find out what wildflowers are indigenous or native to your area. You don't want to encourage invasive species. Use the National Wildlife Federation's Native Plant Finder to learn what plants, including wildflowers, are native to your area. Then, grab some seeds and plain (non-glossy) recycled paper or construction paper and watch the video below.

You can also look up "how to make seed bombs" or "DIY seed bombs" online and find more sets of instructions than you know what to do with. (Some people use red clay, air-dray clay, or another clay in place of paper. Just avoid Play-Doh or modeling clay as they're synthetic and chemically treated.)

Want to up the cool factor to another level? Make a seed bomb cannon launcher, too! My kids have made variations on this concept in various ways at home. This video provides a good tutorial:

Then, have some fun! Now's a great time to sow your seed bombs, which will either help rewild the landscape or fill the bellies of local wildlife. For some tips on how or where to plant/launch them, check out Laura Miller's "Seed Bomb Sowing Time." You can sow-or-throw them on bare soil in your own yard or in undeveloped, neglected areas. Generally, you want to check with property owners or your local parks people if your seed-bombing places other than your own yard or land.

Why does rewilding matter? Well, a lot of reasons, but one big reason is because life (and the ecosystems that harbor life) depend on biodiversity, or the variety of life forms that live in an area and across the vast biosphere that is Earth. That's a lesson that Ana learns in The Wall and the Wild.

Check out this video for more on biodiversity!

And sneak a peek at the backmatter in The Wall and the Wild:

I rather went off on a tangent about rewilding so I'm going to end here and post the re(ad)wilding books in a separate blog. Stay tuned for Part 2!