Witness to a Thousand Miracles

Once planted to mark boundaries and hold livestock, hedgerows have, over centuries, become the living arteries of our countryside. They breathe life into the landscape, offering food, shelter, and safe passage for countless creatures. Within their tangle of roots and branches, dormice scurry, voles and hedgehogs hide, and birds dart between the woven stems. Though often overlooked, hedgerows are among the richest ecosystems we have. One Devon hedge was found to contain more than 2,000 species of plants, animals, and fungi.

This mixed media piece grew slowly, layer by layer, inspired by the old fence and hedgerow that frame the field beside our farm. Each visit revealed something new: the flash of a blue tit, the hum of bees, the shimmer of butterflies dancing between wildflowers. I wanted to capture not just what I saw, but what I felt the pulse of life and the quiet miracles flourishing all around us.

As Aristotle wrote, “In all things of nature there is something of the marvellous.” Those words echoed through my mind as I stood before the hedge, a wild labyrinth of stems and leaves crossing and intertwining in intricate harmony. Beyond it, the hills rolled into the distance beneath a sky brushed with summer clouds. I walked there daily, camera in hand, watching the colours shift and fade as the season unfolded, a living symphony of change.

Mary Davis once said, “To walk into nature is to witness a thousand miracles.” Each day by that hedge felt exactly that. The more time I spent observing, the more I felt restored by its quiet beauty.

Witness to a Thousand Miracles is, above all, a celebration of life, of connection, and of the extraordinary world quietly thriving just beyond the fence.