Why do wasps have stripes?
It’s hard being an insect! There’s so much that wants to eat you. Some insects hide away in the shadows for safety, but others (like wasps) shout their presence from the rooftops.
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Water vole by Terry Whittaker/2020VISION
Chwilio
Oak apple gall wasp
Living up to its name, the oak apple gall wasp produces growths, or 'galls', on oak twigs that look like little apples. Inside the gall, the larvae of the wasp feed on the host tissues,…
My daytime drama
Carol loves watching the rituals of the birds at Rutland Water, especially at the feeding station that she helps to maintain as a volunteer. She loves to lose herself in her own personal episode…
The Smart Happy Project: 12 days of christmas!
Lisa's new monthly blog will help you develop a new superpower - to find the patterns in nature. Today's activity is all about christmas!
Parent bug
The parent bug lives up to its name. The female lays her eggs on a silver birch leaf, watching over them until they hatch. She stays with the young until they are adults. Other shield bugs lay…
The Smart Happy Project: How to make a snowflake!
Lisa's new monthly blog will help you develop a new superpower - to find the patterns in nature. Today, learn about symmetry and chaos in a snowflake.
Things to do
Ever built a den? Fancy learning how to make your very own pond in a bucket? From colouring sheets to how-to guides we've got plenty of ideas to keep you wild!
My rainbow maker
Sarah lives in a beautiful part of Radnorshire and wants to share her magical, mossy waterfall with everyone. Sometimes when the light shines through the spray a rainbow is born. She has a jar…
Mountains
The craggy, rock faces of our mountain peaks are some of the wildest and most spectacular landscapes in the UK. Moving from the peak, down the slope you may discover heather moorland, bogs and windswept woodland.
Violet click beetle
The violet click beetle is a very rare beetle that lives in decaying wood, particularly common beech and ash. It gets its name from its habit of springing upwards with an audible click if it falls…
The Smart Happy Project: Painting spirals in pinecones
Lisa's new monthly blog will help you develop a new superpower - to find the patterns in nature. Today's activity is all about pine cones, so take a look!
Love and look after it!
The Wildlife Trusts appeal to people’s love of nature following last weekend’s wildfires, vandalism, littering and disturbance to wildlife.