This week’s Species Spotlight is a little different. Instead of focusing on a wildflower, bird, or insect, we’re turning our attention to a species that’s always present, but sometimes forgets it’s part of nature too: humans.

Humans (Homo sapiens) are highly adaptable mammals found in every ecosystem on Earth. We build homes, invent tools, grow food, tell stories, and shape landscapes. But long before cities and screens, we were forest dwellers, foragers, fire makers, and deeply attuned to the rhythms of the natural world.

We still carry those instincts. It’s why we’re drawn to trees, rivers, birdsong, and the smell of damp earth. It’s why our breathing slows in a quiet woodland, why our hearts lift at the sight of a bluebell carpet, and why even a short walk outdoors can help calm an anxious mind. Nature isn’t separate from us, we are part of it, and always have been.

Spending time outdoors, especially in places like woodland trails, open fields, or forest school sessions, reconnects us with the wider web of life. It reminds us that we’re not above or outside the ecosystem, we’re participants in it. Our choices matter: what we plant, what we protect, what we listen to, and what we teach the next generation.

Humans are social and creative. We share knowledge. We build together. We laugh, cry, and care. We gather around fires, make music, and tell stories to understand who we are and where we belong. In communities, we find strength. In the forest, we often find perspective.

So as you walk your next woodland path or sit beneath a tree, take a moment to think of yourself as one species among many. Breathe deeply. Listen closely. Feel the ground beneath your feet and the wind on your face. You’re not just passing through the forest, you belong here too.