Oh how I loved and connected to this book, which focuses on how we can help renature our surroundings through the story of one small field in Essex. If you too own a patch of earth, from a windowsill box and up, then this book is a must. Dr James Canton knows his stuff, he also knows people who are thoughtfully connected to the land, and experts in rewilding. He is clear from the start that what he was attempting was not rewilding, which needs to take place over a huge area, that the term of renaturing was much more appropriate. He bought a slice of mown land twenty years ago, and over time has created a haven for our natural world by creating new habitats for plants and wildlife. I also own a bit of a land, we’ve let our field be for a little too long, and can see how a helping hand is needed to ensure a balance. So I read with an explicit interest in this journey, and yet this an accessible book for all. No matter how small your own patch is, even a box of earth can help renature our land, and it’s desperately needed. As the tale of this field unfolds, I could feel the positivity, feel how through helping our natural surroundings, moments of joy and connection occurred. It is simply told yet so powerful and thought-provoking, it just had to be a Liz Pick of the Month and a LoveReading Star Book too. Renaturing is an inspiring and pleasurable read, full of love for our natural world. Highly recommended.
Twenty years ago, James Canton moved from London to the English countryside. Behind his farm labourer's cottage was a small field with a 'for sale' sign. At first it was a site for family picnics and cricket matches with friends, but James knew that the two-acre patch of earth held more potential - as a place for nature to return and flourish.
Here is the story of how, over a number of years, he undertook a project to 'rewild' the field: digging a pond, forging meadowlands, creating habitats for birds and insects, encouraging flowers and plants that support pollinators and wildlife. Eventually what was once just a grassy space was again buzzing with life.
The process raised some interesting questions. Rewilding is about bringing a large landscape back to a natural, self-sustaining state. But that wasn't possible on the scale of a field, a garden or a window box. What if we rethought the term? What if we aimed for 'renaturing' instead? Even on the smallest of scales we can create habitats to support a greater diversity of nature. A single window box planted with pollinator-friendly flowers can provide a mini-habitat to support honeybees; a tower block with a window box on every balcony becomes an acre of bee-friendly ecosystem.
Renaturing shows how the concept of rewilding can be adopted by us all. We can all make positive change, however large or small. We can all be involved in caring for and restoring the natural world.
Dr James Canton is Director of Wild Writing at the University of Essex. He is the author of Grounded: A Journey into the Landscapes of Our Ancestors (2023), The Oak Papers (2020), Ancient Wonderings: Journeys into Prehistoric Britain (2017) and Out of Essex: Re-Imagining a Literary Landscape (2013), which was inspired by his rural wanderings in East Anglia. He has written for the Guardian, reviews for the TLS and Caught by the River, and is a regular on television and radio.
