We’re Going On A Bug Hunt
This week is National Insect Week so there is NO better time to get outdoors and go on a bug hunt. Not sure where to start? Well, read on to find out how to go bug hunting and some great kit to use…
A bug hotel, there’s got to be LOTS of bugs living here!
What you need:
- A clear container to pop your bugs into for a closer look
- A net to catch some flying bugs
- A spoon to help dig for bugs and a brush to gently get them into your jar
- A magnifying glass
- A notepad and pen to help keep note of what you have found
My lil sis Tilda loves to go bug hunting too!
Where should you go?:
Bugs can be found pretty much anywhere. Have a look in your own garden and you will find all sorts of things from butterflies to beetles, lacewings to ladybirds, slaters to snails. Head off to your local woods to see if you can find something different lurking deep inside. Or I LOVE to visit Jupiter Urban Wildlife Centre which is great for bug hunting and pond dipping.
A brush can help you gently get a bug into your jar to look at
What to do…
Well, remember to be quiet and gentle when you are bug hunting so you don’t scare any bugs. Also, be careful where you are going so you don’t get stung by any plants or bugs. Under stones and old logs are great hiding places, look under leaves of plants and in their flowerheads and have a dig in some soil.
Look under old logs for bugs
Things to think about…
- What colour is it?
- What size is it? Is it as big as a coin?
- How quickly does it move around?
A magnifying pot is perfect for a closer peak
- What do you think it likes to eat?
- Does it have wings?
- What sort of creature is it?
- And what is its name? I like Leia the Ladybird.
Nets are great for helping catch flying bugs like butterflies
Consider making a home for some of the bugs you find. Bug hotels are great fun to make with lots of materials you will probably have lying about the garden.
You can do a lot of bug hunting using old spoons and containers from your kitchen (remember to ask your parents before you start digging in the soil with their best silverware!)
Remember to takes notes and draw pictures of what you find
My favourite items to go bug hunting with are from Big Jigs Toys:
Magnifying Glass, £8.49*, perfect for taking a closer look at all those bugs
Magnifying Pot*, £3.99, A great way to keep bugs safe while you have a good look
Bug Net*, £7.99, great for catching flying creatures like butterflies
Bug Box*, £5.99, perfect for looking closely at those flying creatures
If you are interested in reading more about bugs then visit our other blogs:
Happy bug hunting everyone!
Lulu xx
*Price correct at time of publication
The “Lulu Burt Best of 2014 Awards”
Mummy says we’ve started a New Year called 2015 and it will be the year of the Sheep in the Chinese calendar. That’s fab as both me and my BFF Euan LOVE our toy sheep (both called Baa Baa!). I had an amazing time in 2014 so am hoping 2015 will be just as exciting. Here are my favourite things from 2014, otherwise known as the “Lulu Burt Best of 2014 Awards”.
Best product I used in garden
I had lots of fun last Spring using the fabby kids gardening tools from Twigz. I used them to grow veggies and flowers from seed and to look after the seedlings and plants as they got bigger. My favourite item was the watering can.
Twigz do a wonderful range of garden tools for children
Best things I grew (apart from taller that is!)
Regular readers will know that I LOVE a big bright sunflower. I even gave them away in the party bags from my birthday party last year. Two of my others faves to grow are tomatoes and potatoes. Imagine my excitement at discovering the TomTato plant. It grows tomatoes above the ground and potatoes below, all at the same time, cool huh? The big crop of sweet tomatoes was really, really yummy but the crop of potatoes didn’t stretch very far when it came to feeding a growing girl. It still wins the prize for yummy sweet tomatoes and being really different.
Best books I reviewed
The contest for best book was a close run thing, I gave 5 Lulu Burt gold stars to 2 fun books in 2014. So in this category we have a tie between fellow blogger Dawn Isaac’s “101 Things for Kids To Do Outside” and “Findus, Food and Fun” from Hawthorn Press.
Both books have really fab activities that little-uns like me can do.
The book is PACKED full of lots
(well 101 to be precise) of awesome ideas
Best places I visited
This is a no brainer. It just has to be Provost Park in Bridge of Allan. I (Lulu Ann Burt, aged 2.5 years) was the very important person who got to open the newly designed park. Mummy and Daddy were involved in this design project even before I was born (I still can’t believe anything of importance happened before I arrived!) It was great to see the site being turned into a low maintenance, Victorian themed place to meet friends or just relax.
Me officially opening MY park!
Best things I’ve made
Mummy tells me it is better to give a gift than to get one. This year I had lots of fun making presents for Mummy on Mothers Day and Daddy on Father’s day. Since I’m just little I didn’t have many pennies to spend so made do with up-cycling things from our kitchen.
Pansies in cheese boxes makes a lovely gift
My decorated tin can planters
Best thing that happened in 2014
BIG DRUM ROLL PLEASE……. the overall, most wonderful and exciting thing that happened to me in 2014 was that I became a big sister. My very cute and cuddly (but not very good at playing hide and seek yet) little sister Tilda was born in November 2014. I can’t wait until she is old enough to do some gardening with me!
Tilda and I – double cuteness!
Wow, I did have a very busy year. What did you get up to in 2014? I’d love to hear all about your adventures. Let’s have even more in 2015!
Lulu xx
A Snail, A Snail, The Teacher Turns Pale…
Unlike many gardeners (and teachers), I LOVE snails. I love finding them in the garden, I love drawing them and I love reading about them in my favourite book The Snail and the Whale. In this blog I tell you a few facts about the banded snail, how to make your very own Snail Race as well as a lovely paper plate snail.
Head out and do some snail hunting at dusk
Banded Snail Facts
- There are 2 common banded shell snails in the UK – one is brown-lipped and one is white-lipped. The colours refer to their shell openings though, not their actual lips!
- Snails hide during the day in damp places and come out in wet weather or at night.
- Banded snails hibernate in the winter.
- Banded snails have two pairs of tentacles on their head which can be retracted. The longer, upper pair have the snail’s eyes at the very end of them!
Snail Race
- Snails
- Chalk
We have plenty of snails which we can race!
Make A Paper Plate Snail
Save The Snail!
Most gardener’s don’t like snails but I have a confession to make. I, Lulu Ann Burt love them! There, I said it! ‘Nails (as I call them) are funny creatures and I love hunting for them in the garden. I say Save The Snail! Trouble is they love eating the scrummy plants in the garden as much as we do! It’s important to try and help look after our prized plants so here are a few of my top tips on being snail-savvy in the garden as well as a brilliant project to make your own snail which won’t eat any of your prized hostas!
Me and my friend the ‘Nail
As I love snails very much and as M&D feel very strongly about being organic we don’t recommend putting down slug and snail pellets in the garden. These can be eaten by other animals or even children and can be very dangerous (as well as not very nice way to treat my friend the snail!) Here are some better ways to deal with them…
Ooh ooh, ouch!
Snails hate to crawl over anything scratchy so putting a ring of something like crushed egg shells or grit around the plants they most like to eat helps deter them. Watch out for any foliage that falls into the ring as that can be used as a bridge by the canny creatures.
Ring a ring of hostas
If you have your prized plants in pots which the snails are attacking, try putting a copper ring around the pot – the snails won’t want to crawl over it and your plants stay safe.
Snail hunting!
This is my favourite method – snail hunting! Swap your spade for a torch and get out at dusk and collect the pests yourselves. You will be amazed at how many of the wee beasties you will find!
Head out and do some snail hunting at dusk
Pull on the (fox)gloves
Sometimes you need to box clever and choose plants which snails wouldn’t have at their beastly banquet. Choose plants with scented leaves such as alliums, fennel and rosemary, plants with textured leaves such as lambs ears and lavender or plants such as ferns, foxgloves and camellias. All beautiful but relatively safe from unwanted intruders.
Cheers
A method well known in the gardening world is setting beer traps for snails. If your grown-up can spare some of their well earned bottle at the end of a day’s hard graft in the garden, ask them to sink a rinsed out empty can with some beer in it, into the ground. Snails are attracted to the smell and fall in the can and can’t get back out making it easy for you to dispose of them.
Nematodes
Some gardeners turn to a biological solution in the fight against snails. A naturally occurring nematode (a tiny worm) can be introduced into the gardener by adding it to a watering can. They contain bacteria which attacks and kills snails. It lasts for about six weeks and doesn’t affect anything else in the garden. Despite the name no toads are used in this method!
Nema-toads
As you can see there are lots of ways of tackling snails but I think one of the best ways is to attract beneficial wildlife that feasts on snails. If you have space for a wildlife pond you can attract frogs and toads which love a slug supper. Creating a log pile or leaving a corner of old leaves may mean a hedgehog sets up home in your garden and it will repay you by eating up these foe. Or make a bug hotel or encourage birds into the garden to help you in your efforts.
So, now you know how to keep snails out of your garden why not bring one into the house instead with this wonderful craft idea:
Make A Paper Plate Snail
Make A Paper Plate Snail (Image courtesy of Kiwi Co)
You will need:
- A paper plate
- A marker pen
- Scissors
- Coloured paper or stickers
- Glue
- Paint
- Googly eyes (optional)
- Pipe cleaners (optional)
To make:
1. Draw this shape on the paper plate:
2. Cut off the top part of your paper plate to make the snail shape:
3. Use your coloured paper or stickers to stick shapes around the shell. Make your snail as funky and colourful as you wish. I liked learning about the different colours and shapes we were using as we did it
4. Finally paint the body, stick on (or draw on) your eyes and if you wish, add some pipe cleaners to make the feelers. And there you have it – a paper plate snail! All the fun but your hostas will stay safe 😉
You can make themed snails too if you wish. Grandma and I made a lovely festive snail for Christmas!
Remember to email me photos of your snail creations or if there are other garden animals you would like to learn about and see a craft project on then let me know!
For more tips on garden pests visit our blog:
Vialii Guide To Top Garden Pests And Diseases
Lulu
Thank you to Kiwicrate for the inspiration for this craft project