Songs from the Wood

Sophie invites you to the BESfest stall

For me the festival was a breath of fresh air, exactly what my ultrapure-air breathing lungs required after spending perhaps too much time experimenting in the sterility of a trace-metal clean room.

The combination of sunshine, happy people, meowing peacocks and grubby feet amounts to soul food for the average researcher - so gratitude to everyone involved with the Larmer Tree Festival.

Bees and animal pencils
were also very popular

I was really impressed with the festival-goers who, despite blistering heat, stopped by our rather atypical and curious stall touting games such as the ‘Hidden World of Mushrooms’ and ‘Whose Poo?’. These were really well received and it was great fun to see return visitors with a plus-one in tow, enthusiastically demanding their nearest and dearest take the challenge.

It was not only human visitors who came to the tent. Native bumble bees stopped by to check out our hive, and partake in the breaking of bread, courtesy of the pollen granules temptingly lain on the grill-like cover. I also began to suspect that our tent was unwittingly enrolled in a scheme to provide a 24 hour crèche for the money spiders of Wiltshire, that's if my hair was anything to go by.

Great people, great ecology, great fun!

Post written by Sophie Dixon, PhD student at the Open University