Nature spotters in the garden
Head out into the garden and peer among the flowers, grasses and plant pots. Can you find all 80 Nature Spots?
Our Children’s Nature Spotting Paperback book will help identify your finds in your garden, and provides a handy recording sheet to note down and tick off each one as they are spotted!
From birds and butterflies to pollinators and plants, each one will win you a bronze, silver or gold medal. There are Nature Spots to see all year round, even in the winter. How many will you find? There are 10 different places to look…
- Garden birds – You don’t need any special equipment to spot these birds. Tables and feeders are a good place to watch.
- Parkland birds – Birds that you might see in big open spaces like parks and playing fields.
- Stripy flying insects – Take a few minutes to sit garden flowers and wild flowers, like roses and dandelions. You should see lots of bees, wasps and hoverflies, especially in the summer.
- Butterflies and moths – Look out for these insects on flowers, especially in full sunshine.
- Playing field plants – Playing fields aren’t just places for sport! Some of these plants are found in the shortest grass. Others are found among long grass at the edge of the field.
- Bugs on bushes – Look out for insects and other beasties resting on leaves and stems. You could even ty catching animals with a light-coloured dustpan and brush, gently sweeping the leaves to see what animals fall out.
- Soil and leaf litter – Most gardens have patches of bare soil, dead leaves and short grass. Follow the instructions to make a pifall trap to leave out overnight.
- Woodlice – There are 37 species of woodlice in Briatin and Ireland. The ‘Famous Five’ are all common in gardens and around buildings.
- Slugs and snails – Search on damp places, or use tough-skinned fruit like melon as bait. What will you catch?
- Wildlife on walls – Old walls are often undisturbed and are a bit like a natural rock-face.
