A new art exhibition celebrates the natural beauty of rewilding in England, focusing on the transformation of landscapes as they return to a more natural state. The exhibition features nine large paintings by artist Rebecca Howard, who spent two years exploring rewilding sites across the country. Her canvases capture scenes like fungi growing on dying trees, water buffalo in newly created wetlands, and beaver-made pools flooding once-dry fields. The exhibition, which opens at the rewilded Knepp estate in West Sussex on 12 September, will run until 18 October, with plans for future shows in other locations. Howard visited several rewilding projects, including Cabilla in Cornwall, a fragment of temperate rainforest being restored by the Thousand Year Trust. She also explored Knepp, widely regarded as a pioneer in British rewilding, and a Devon farm transformed by Derek Gow, who has reintroduced species like beavers, storks, and water voles. She also visited lesser-known sites, such as Derby’s largest urban rewilding project and Broughton Sanctuary in North Yorkshire, where land is being healed through rewilding efforts. At Hamatethy Farm in Cornwall, Howard observed a massive tree that had been partially chewed by beavers but remained standing. She was struck by the beauty in the balance between life and death, noting how such trees can become valuable habitats once they fall. Howard emphasized the excitement of witnessing nature’s recovery, calling it a powerful experience that highlights the resilience of ecosystems. Howard was impressed by the openness of landowners, both private and charitable, to embrace change and welcome visitors. Many of the sites had only been rewilding for five years but already showed signs of significant ecological improvement, including the return of species that had long been absent. The unpredictable and dynamic nature of rewilding was a common theme across all the projects she visited. At Knepp, Howard focused on standing deadwood, an important habitat for invertebrates that has been neglected in recent decades due to safety concerns. In Devon, she participated in an effort to ring-bark non-native larch trees, creating deadwood and clearing space for young oaks and birches to grow. These practices are expected to enhance the land’s biodiversity in the coming years. Each of Howard’s paintings measures 120cm in height and 70cm in width, designed to immerse viewers in the rewilding sites and convey the experience of visiting them. Lia Brazier, creative director at Knepp, noted that rewilding should be part of both the landscape and cultural imagination. Howard’s work, she said, offers a fresh perspective on the transformation of nature, revealing the richness that can arise when wild spaces are allowed to flourish. Howard hopes her art will inspire people to connect more deeply with the natural world and recognize the importance of a wilder future.