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Posts Tagged ‘Minibeast identification guide’

Explore your garden next week – go on an Insect Hunt

Posted in Gardening at Home, Gardening at School, General, School Projects, Wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 20, 2014| Leave a Comment »

National Insect Week logo
 
Next week is National Insect Week (23-29 June) it is organised by the Royal Entomological Society and encourages people of all ages to learn more about insects.
 
Did you know that there are over one million species of insects in the world these are just the ones that have been discovered and named with possibly many more new species out there just waiting to be found? In the UK alone there are more than 24,000 species, they are very varied in appearance (shape, size and colour) and live quite differently in their own habitats, many go unnoticed in our day-to-day life, why not go and explore your patch to see what is living in your school garden or your garden at home.
 
Be prepared
Hopefully the sun will be shining but you may need waterproofs, old clothes and Wellingtons.The Minibeast GuideEquipment
A Minibeast/Insect Identification Guide, Camera, Magnifying Glass, Note Pad, Pencil and a suitable container (not airtight) to study your insects (release your insects as soon as possible and return them to where they were found, please take care not to injure the insects themselves or disturb their environment).
 
Where to look
Have a look under stones/rocks/plant pots/logs and rotting wood, in compost heaps and long grass, on the underside of leaves, on flower heads, in leaf litter and near ponds (always have an adult with you).

Dragonfly

Insects to look out for
  • Dragonflies and Damselflies
  • Ladybirds
  • Grasshoppers/Crickets
  • Beetles
  • Butterflies
  • Hoverflies
  • Aphids/Greenfly
  • Moths
  • Lacewings
  • Ants
  • Wasps
  • Bees
  • Earwigs
  • Flies
  • Bugs
Elephant Hawk Moth

Elephant Hawk Moth

 
Once you find your insect, make a record of what it is, draw a picture of it or take a photograph, record where you found it, what it was doing or what it was eating/feeding on and the date.
 
When you have been on your Insect Hunt why not tell us what you find or send in your drawing or photograph to enter our free Family Zone competition for a chance to win a Ladybird and Insect Tower and a Field guide to Ladybirds of the British Isles for full details click here or have a go at our Insect Quiz in the School Zone for a chance to win your school a Solar Insect Theatre and a Minibeast Identification Guide for full details click here.
 
If you want to encourage more insects to your garden why not put up some Insect Houses, they will provide a safe winter haven as well as looking attractive.
 
Wildlife World Bee & Bug Biome

Bee and Bug Biome

Solitary Bee Hive

Solitary Bee Hive

The Butterfly Biome

The Butterfly Biome

 
An Insect Hunt is a great way to get children (and adults) outdoors and interested in their environment, everyone can take part whatever their age (I love it just as much as Thomas), here are some of our findings on our Insect Hunt last weekend.
 
Common Green Grasshopper

Common Green Grasshopper

Fritillary Butterfly

Fritillary Butterfly

 
Happy hunting
 
Gill
 

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Congratulations to our Competition Winners – have a look at our New Free Competitions

Posted in Competitions, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 8, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Congratulations to our March/April Competition Winners the School Zone Competition was won by Bowes Hutchinson’s C of E Primary School, Barnard Castle, County Durham and the Family Zone Competition was won by Dominic Nelson from Bishops Stortford both winners received an Essentials Propagator and a selection of seed trays, flowers pots and labels, well done to both of you, I hope that you enjoy your prizes and that you use them to grow lots of flowers, fruit and vegetables.

As the weather warms up and the days get longer you may notice a lot more insects in your garden, but how much do you really know about them and do you know their names, in the New School Zone Competition have a go at our Insect Quiz for a chance to win your School

a Solar Insect Theatre (perfect for catching and watching insects)

Solar Insect Theatre

and a Minibeast Identification Guide (to help you to identify them).

The Minibeast Guide

For full details on how to enter, your entry form and those all important Quiz Questions click here.

There are many bugs living in our gardens to enter our New Family Zone Competition why not go on a bug hunt and tell us what bugs you find or take a photograph or draw a picture of one and send it in to us and you could win

a Ladybird and Insect Tower (a perfect home for Ladybirds and Insects)

Ladybird and Insect Tower

and a Field guide to Ladybirds of the British Isles (to help you to identify your inhabitants).

Field Guide to Ladybirds

For full details on how to enter and your entry form click here.

The closing date for both Competitions is 31st July 2014.

Good Luck

Gill

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Explore your garden – go on a Bug Hunt

Posted in Gardening at Home, Gardening at School, General, School Projects, Wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 22, 2012| Leave a Comment »

To celebrate National Insect Week (25th June – 1st July) why go on a Bug Hunt in your school garden or at home. Gardens have become a haven for wildlife, especially now that our farmland is becoming more intensively farmed. There are hundreds of different species of Insects but being small and quite elusive they often go unnoticed in our day-to-day life, why not go and explore your patch to see what is living on your doorstep.
 
Be prepared
You may need to wear waterproof/old clothes and Wellingtons.The Minibeast GuideEquipment
A Minibeast/Insect Identification Guide, Camera, Magnifying Glass, Note Pad, Pencil and a suitable container (not airtight) to study the insects (release any insects as soon as possible and return them to where they were found, please take care not to harm the insects themselves nor cause significant disturbance to their environment).
 
Where to look
Have a look under stones/rocks/plant pots/logs and rotting wood, in compost heaps and long grass, on the underside of leaves, on flower heads, in leaf litter and near ponds (always have an adult with you).

Dragonfly

Insects to look out for
  • Dragonflies and Damselflies
  • Ladybirds
  • Grasshoppers/Crickets
  • Beetles
  • Butterflies
  • Hoverflies
  • Aphids/Greenfly
  • Moths
  • Lacewings
  • Ants
  • Wasps
  • Bees
  • Earwigs
  • Flies
  • Bugs
Once you find your insect, make a record of what it is, draw a picture of it or take a photograph, record where you found it, what it was doing or what it was eating/feeding on and the date (Write your information in your Wildlife Diary).
 
This is a great way to get children (and adults) outdoors and interested in their environment, and it is something that everyone can do whatever their age (I love it as much as Thomas).
 
Happy hunting
 
Gill
 

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