APHOTOFAUNA
An Educational Photographic Resource and Stock Image Library of
Terrestrial Wildlife and their Habitats, found across South-West
England and the Devon and Cornwall Peninsula by David Fenwick.
I remember quite vividly my first memories. I was under a tree next to a large stately house, pushing red berries into my mouth, I was around two at the time. More by luck than judgment I found the actual Mulberry Tree last year, the tree I remember so vividly. This memory is the earliest memory I recall; and with a plant; the things my adult life has been dedicated to, and have built a career around.
I have been interested in nature and the natural world since before I could read, I just loved looking at images contained in nature books, I remember it now. On getting older my father involved me in all kinds of outdoor activities to help further my interest in the environment and the outdoors, enrolling me in whatever society I wished to join at the time. The nature of these pursuits gave me an appreciation of the environment.
As a teenager I became interested in wildflowers and later gardening; I loved looking around for wildflowers around the area I lived, in Saltash, Cornwall, and it was also very good exercise. I also had a few books about wildflowers. My only problem was that as a youth I found it especially difficult to sustain this interest. This was because I was limited to searching a comparatively small area of land on foot and the books I had weren't actually designed around what people were likely to find. They just covered the big, colourful, unusual, or rare, or the things people find easy to write about.
Over the past 6 years I have become more involved with wildflower and wildlife photography; something that is probably age related; but whilst doing this have become completely committed to the environment in which we live.
The mission statement for the A-P-H-O-T-O websites is furthering environmental awareness and education through the medium of photography; and through these sites it is hoped that parents and children alike can open their eyes and see the diversity of life that can be discovered on a local level.
The environment and all its biological diversity can be very stimulating for children as I have learned; and now, in the age of the internet we are very fortunate to be able to give our children greater opportunities; and greater access to the environment and information than we ever had ourselves.
Other websites will be able to inform people and further explain the importance of biodiversity; but an awareness of the environment is something we as parents have to pass on to our children and get them involved in. But to get children involved we have to take the lead and get involved ourselves.
Please visit the Biodiversity is Life website for further information and IYB events in the UK.