Activities & benefits: enjoy nature

With days getting warmer and longer, now is the perfect time to get out in your local countryside and surround yourself with nature. To celebrate spring, and to give you a little nudge to get on your walking boots, we're bringing you a handful of tips and activities to do while out and about.

Scroll down below to see:

5 benefits of being in nature
5 trees to spot and how to recognise them
5 things to take with you on a walk
5 birds to look out for
5 best nature apps

5 benefits of being in nature

Reduces stress

Being in nature is a great form of de-stressing and relaxing. Studies have shown that being in nature helps to lower your heart rate, brain waves and breathing and reduce your stress.

Improves your sleep quality

Spending more time outdoors has been shown to help you sleep better, with the natural light helping to reset your circadian rhythms which controls your sleep-wake cycle.

Promotes activity

Nature's not just great for your mental wellbeing, but also your physical too. For those of you that aren't regular ramblers; keep things simple with short daily walks around your local park and slowly increase the time you spend walking - who knows, you might surprise yourself at how much you enjoy it - even from day one!

Great for your mood

A Finnish study found that spending just 15 minutes a day in nature helped individuals feel emotionally restored, while a 90-minute walk can help lower levels of rumination, or 'negative mind chatter'.

Helps with creativity and problem solving

It's not hard to see the correlation between creativity and spending time in nature - after all, you only need to look to find inspiration all around - but did you know that studies have also found that it helps with problem-solving?

5 trees to look out for

English Oak

Leaves: Round-lobed with a short leaf stalk, accompanied by dangling catkins during spring and acorns in autumn

Bark: Rough with deep grooves. Young oaks will have a silvery brown colouring, older oaks will be a darker brown complexion.

Overall appearance: Thick trunk and round, spreading crown which is very lush and green during peak season. Grows around 40 metres high.

Ash

Leaves: Made up of 7-13 paired tooth-edged leaflets (this is a pinnate leaf), attached to the main stalk of the leaf.

Bark: Silvery grey markings, with older trees displaying vertical fissures.

Overall appearance: Grow up to 40-45 metres in height. The ash tree's very black buds are one of its most defining features - especially against the grey bark.

Sweet Chestnut

Leaves: Leaves are around 16-28cm in length, tooth-edged and with a pointed tip. Bright green and quite glossy, often gathered in paired bunches of around 20. Features long yellow catkins in late June and July, as well as its characteristic chestnuts in Autumn, encased in spiky cases.

Bark: Smooth texture with a grey-purple colouring. As it matures, the trunk will have vertical fissures. get older,

Overall appearance: A deciduous tree, the sweet chestnut can reach 35 metres in height and can have a very thick trunk.

Silver Birch

Leaves: Light green, tooth-edged and triangle-shaped. These trees also have catkins from April to May; either long and yellow-brown in colouring (a male catkin) or short and bright green (a female catkin).

Bark: White in colouring and often sheds layers. Older trees have black and rugged bases and dark, diamond-shaped fissures in their trunks.

Overall appearance: Mature birch trees grow up to 30 metres.

Western Hemlock

Leaves: Soft and flat needle-like leaves with rounded tips and 2 white bands on the underside.AN evergreen tree, the crushed needles smell like grapefruit.

Bark: Dark brown with rugged ridges. One of its defining features is its long drooping branch tips

Overall appearance: Conical shape with a narrow crown, grows up to 45 metres. Often found in upland forests and moist climates.