Written by Lucy Hodson

Who am I?
My name’s Lucy, I’m 28 and a self-confessed hardcore nature nerd. I work full-time in communications for a large wildlife and conservation charity in the UK, and run a wildlife & nature insta-blog on the side.

The nature thing…
I’m sure many of you’ll agree that when you work with wildlife, you’re often asked how you got into it. For me, there was no choice. I’ve had ‘the nature thing’ for as long as I can remember. Call it an interest, obsession or, perhaps mostly aptly, a ‘bug’ – it’s been with me since I was old enough to hold a fistful of wriggling worms.

I grew up in the countryside, and was allowed to free-roam throughout my childhood. I had two footwear options: wellies (no socks), or barefoot. My feet were disgusting; it was brilliant. I spent my early years caked in mud, hair tangled and some sort of bug stuffed in my pockets/bucket/jar wherever I went. Many of my peers weren’t afforded the same freedom, so I soon learnt to entertain myself in the great outdoors; bug hunting, bird watching & tree climbing.

A sense of fierce protectiveness over the environment has burned within me since a young age too. I remember coming downstairs in tears, unable to sleep because King Atters had casually mentioned in a nature documentary that cheetahs might go extinct.
Nature is now everything to me. It’s all consuming; it’s the only thing I think about. I seek connections with the wildlife around me every day – whether it’s poking at some moss growing on an urban wall, or taking my bat detector to a beer garden in the evening, I want to be in nature all the time.

Working in the nature thing…
I always knew I wanted to work with wildlife and remember discovering the concept of a ‘conservationist’ when I was about 10. I was BUZZING. I made it through the standard school years of crap careers advice (my ‘what’s your dream job?’ quiz recommended I be a florist or dog groomer) and managed to find a uni that offered a Wildlife Conservation degree.

I had three years of beers and wildlife studying, followed by a year mucking around in retail, before I applied for my first job in conservation as a Visitor Experience officer on a nature reserve. Somehow I got it, and found myself planning events & leading walks on a stunning ancient woodland reserve.

After a year in the role, my contract came to an end. Unfortunately, at the same time, I found a big old lump in my neck, and was soon diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma at the age of 23. It’s funny to think about it now, but this is when my nature-nerdiness REALLY kicked in.

I had to take six months out of work for chemo; so a lot of spare time. When I didn’t feel naff, I spent as much time as possible outside and teaching myself about wildlife. It was at this point I started my wildlife blog on Insta (@Lucy_Lapwing) – using it to share photos of all the awesome stuff I spotted on my nature rambles. Birds, inverts, fungi, mosses, wildflowers – I fell in love with it ALL, all over again.

The eco-dreads…
After I was given the all-clear (woohoo!), I got another job on another awesome nature reserve. I carried on happy as Larry for a couple of years, learning new skills, working with ace conservationists, and building my experience in the field.
I don’t know when it started, but slowly, over time, a sense of worry, concern and dread starting creeping into my conscience.

I couldn’t read any environmental news without feeling panic, and any time I encountered someone being flippant about climate change or biodiversity loss, I felt deep rage and sadness. I remember trying to describe my feeling to my friends at work, terming it ‘eco-dread’.
Someone thankfully coined the better term of ‘eco-anxiety’ – and it’s been a subject I’ve closely followed since. I worry about nature constantly. I cry several times a week (sometimes daily) about the state of biodiversity. When I see someone’s face grimace at an insect, or someone using bug spray, or any other hostility to nature, I often feel like all is lost.

Glow worm at the end of the tunnel…
It’s hard to come up with a happy ending to this topic. The climate and ecological emergency is so HUGE, it can seem impossible to solve. How will people change their ways? When will we stop consuming? How much more nature will we lose?
My glimmer of hope (like a glow-worm’s butt in the night) comes from the natural world itself, and the incredible people I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with in the conservation community.

No matter how anxious, stressed and down I feel, some time spent in nature always calms me – even if only a little bit. Likewise, talking about worries, hopes and fears with fellow nature nerds is an amazing soother. Sharing wild experiences and debating about conservation sets the mind alight. You’re all ace.

I’ve felt a huge injection into the climate and conservation movement in the last two years. Like a funky fungus, I really hope the spores of this energy take root and erupt into the biggest, greatest, most influential and change-making mushroom this beautiful planet has ever seen.  In the meantime, I’m happy to be a provider of any advice or support any of you need. Working together, giving each other a hand up & sharing our skills is what it’s all about! Career advice or eco-anxiety venting; the door’s always open.

For more of Lucy, follow @Lucy_Lapwing on Instagram