We’re going on a bug hunt…

We’re going on a bug hunt, we’re going to find some bugs…

Earlier today Pete Dawson, our resident ‘Bug Man’, led a group of home-schooled students from the local area on an exciting trip through the grasslands of Arnos Vale in search of insects, spiders and all sorts of other creepy-crawlies.

We found plenty of intriguing critters to keep us interested, from wasps and spiders to cardinal beetles and butterflies. We even came across a whole host of harlequin ladybirds mating, and Pete explained to the group about the negative impact these seemingly harmless creatures are having on our own native ladybird population.

Always keen to get people engaged, Pete demonstrated how to use sweep nets, pooters and collection pots, before letting the enthusiastic kids loose in search of their own specimens for him to identify.

“It was very fun, very exhausting and very hot”, said Pete. “But its all about finding things, getting people to understand that the world is just full of weird things!”