Under the warmth of the early spring sun, it feels as if, overnight, the narrow belt of closely spaced native trees we planted in a zig-zag pattern along the side wall a few years ago has come to life. Their once-naked branches are now adorned with fresh lime-green buds and leaves. This stretch of young blackthorn, birch, holly, hawthorn, hazel, sessile oak, guelder rose, grey willow, strawberry tree and alder feels, once again, awake to the world.
There’s an uplifting sense of merriment along this short strip of hedgerow. Goldcrests, wrens and robins flit between the trees. The stocky, flashy male bullfinch makes an appearance, hopping from branch to branch and weighing them down as he goes. He invariably prefers the hawthorn tree, where he nibbles at the swollen buds. His colourful plumage stands out – a glossy black tail and helmet, a coral chest and a grey neck. He’s soon joined by a less striking but equally charming blue tit, its small form bouncing up and down on a silver birch twig as it adroitly sharpens its bill at the same time.
Along my little hedgerow, a pesky grey squirrel with a twitching tail disturbs the peace. Over the past few years, the area has become overrun by them, and I’m convinced that they’re partly responsible for the sudden disappearance of the house sparrows, which used to nest in large numbers under the eaves. I miss their busy chatter at this time of year. Until a few years ago, there was a stretch of hedgerow along a busy road packed full of them. Their loud song managed to successfully compete with the din of passing cars.
I’ve been lax in managing the hedgerow, which hasn’t been trimmed in years. The silver birch towers above the rest, racing towards the sunlight, while the other trees sprawl across each other like Mikado sticks scattered on a table; it’s tricky to tell where one tree begins and the other ends, but I like it that way. This autumn I plan to add a few more trees to the mix, encouraging a greater diversity of insects and birds.
Looking forward to a future where doctors prescribe time to take in a hedgerow
Matt Murphy leaves an extraordinary legacy in and around Sherkin Island
Avian flu poses a threat to other species - including humans. We must take action
The weird-looking cuttlefish wouldn’t be out of place as a magical creature in Harry Potter
The oldest hedgerow in England, called “Judith’s hedge”, is believed to be 900 years old and attracts a phenomenal range of insects due to the diversity of plant species. Either way, this small view of nature from my window is a particular kind of privilege. Dangerously distracting yet utterly compelling, it changes daily, effortlessly capturing my attention. It’s both soothing and beautiful.
A new study led by a team from the universities of Exeter and Vienna has found that viewing nature can help people feel less acute pain compared with those exposed to urban or indoor settings. Published earlier this month in Nature Communications, the study monitored the brain activity of 49 participants while they were given small electric shocks to simulate pain. During the scans, they were shown immersive scenes of a natural setting, such as a woodland with a lake and birdsong, or an urban environment (cityscape, indoor office). They were then asked to rate how painful they found the shocks while the researchers tracked the brain activity.
In 1984, a seminal study revealed that patients recovering from surgery who had a window view of trees required fewer painkillers and left the hospital earlier than those who had a view of a brick wall. However, for the past 40 years, the mechanisms underlying why this occurred have remained unknown.
Our study is the first to provide evidence from brain scans that this isn’t just a ‘placebo’ effect – driven by people’s beliefs and expectations that nature is good for them
— Max Steininger, University of Vienna
The researchers in the latest study found that those watching the nature videos reported feeling less pain – the electric shocks were perceived as less intense and unpleasant. This same pattern was observed in their brain scans, which showed reduced activity linked to pain perception. This is the first study to demonstrate why people consistently feel less pain when exposed to nature.
[ Ireland does not have to choose between food and natureOpens in new window ]
According to co-author Max Steininger of the University of Vienna, “Our study is the first to provide evidence from brain scans that this isn’t just a ‘placebo’ effect – driven by people’s beliefs and expectations that nature is good for them – instead, the brain is reacting less to information about where the pain is coming from and how intense it feels.”
How could this approach offer an alternative to drug-based treatments? The most obvious application is for people who cannot easily get outside, such as those in hospitals, care homes or recovering from surgery, and individuals who spend long hours in offices. Giving them access to a view of nature could make a significant difference. For those experiencing chronic pain (ie long-term back pain), it raises the potential for nature-based therapy.
Perhaps in the future, doctors will recommend taking it easy on the paracetamol and prescribe time looking at a meadow or native hedgerow instead.
