Connecting with nature on campus
Posted on Thursday 2 July 2026
On Campus East, members of LCAB helped to host an event that made the most of the wilder side of the University. Smriti Safaya, from the Stockholm Environment Institute at the University of York (SEI-Y) led a multi-sensory walk near the lake that included nature journaling, wildlife observations using the citizen science iNaturalist app, and soundscaping. Particular highlights were the aerial acrobatics of the sand martins, the fanciful crested grebes and a very secretive frog! Participants also enjoyed the chance to co-create an artwork inspired by leaf shapes in a variety of media.
Alison Dyke, Joanne Morris (also from SEI-Y) and the InTREEgue network led a guided walk that visited a number of trees, and celebrated the launch of the reactivated University of York Interactive Campus Tree Trail. Designed in the 1960s, the diverse campus treescape is an important home for wildlife and a haven for staff, students and visitors to enjoy. The aim of the activated trail is to provide ways of engaging with the trees through learning, creating, sensing, exploring and relaxing. The walk included visits to oak, yew, willow, holly and hazel and participants had opportunities to try writing with ink made from oak galls, create a piece of art using leaves, and co-create poetry with themes inspired by the cultural resonance of trees. They could also sharpen their tree identification skills, or simply enjoy how trees enriched the sounds, sights and textures of our campus. Visitors especially enjoyed the atmospheric poetry reading that took place inside one of the yew trees near Heslington Hall. They appreciated learning more than just botanical facts about the trees and were intrigued to learn about oak gall ink. Several were surprised by how simple yet fun - and meditative - it was to make leaf rubbings and leaf bugs. The trail can be found on this Google Map.
From left to right: Drawing made using ink crafted from oak galls (inset) and artwork created at the Connecting with Nature on Campus event.
These events exemplify the philosophy of the new campus Ecological Management Plan, which aims to create a nature-positive campus that supports all the members of the university community, whatever their role, background or species, to achieve their full potential. The plan brings together benefits to biodiversity through sensitive management, underpinned by regular monitoring of biodiversity, integrated with opportunities for enhanced teaching, learning and well-being. For more ideas on how to engage with nature on campus, why not try the University of York Touch Grass Bingo Card?