Sometimes we underestimate the value of the little things, but when it comes to insects and mini-beasts, bugs and creepy crawlies, we literally can’t live without them. It’s important to understand that every creature has its place in the food chain and if we remove one layer, we starve the layers above. Changing the way we think about garden creatures is a powerful step to restoring the natural balance and preparing the youngsters for their gardening adventure. We can start with a summer treasure hunt, looking for fun mini-beasts.
Before you start make sure you explain clearly to the little ones that they should look, but not touch, taking photos is a great way to discover, record and find out about the creatures that they find.
Cute Caterpillars
Caterpillars are baby butterflies, or baby moths. They are a bit like the ugly duckling, though many caterpillars are spectacular. The trouble is they do eat plants. But wait, they won’t kill your plants and sometimes they make your plants grow back stronger. The really important thing to teach the children is that plants are the bottom layer of the food chain So … the caterpillars eat the plants and grow big and fat, and then some of them are eaten by hedgehogs and blue tits.
The other thing that is really fascinating, is that butterflies and moths have evolved with their larval food plants and can only lay their eggs on particular plants. They do this by ‘tasting’ the leaves with their feet to make sure that the host plant is healthy and the right food plant for their babies. Amazing, eh? Look around the plants in your garden and see what caterpillars you can find. Then take a photo and see if you can identify them and discover what beauty it will become. We would love to see your photos.
Wonderful Woodlice
You might find these cute creatures under flower pots, or in and around the compost heap. A compost heap is woodlice heaven!
Woodlice are nature’s recyclers, they feed on rotting wood, dead leaves, fungi , fallen fruit and even dead creatures. Woodlice aren’t actually insects, they have fourteen legs, insects have six. Woodlice are related to crustaceans like crabs, shrimps and lobsters, but they live on the land, that’s why they like cool, damp places. They breathe through gills. Female woodlice have a pouch where they lay their eggs and then the babies hatch inside. The mother woodlouse looks after her babies for a few months. Baby woodlice are like little woodlice ghosts and are called Mancas. A few types of woodlice can curl up into a ball, these are called pill-bugs.
Splendid Snails
If there’s one garden creature that kids can really fall in love with, it’s the humble garden snail. These are lovely wild pets that they can find and feed in the garden. Snails love soft fleshy leaves like lettuce and other leafy greens. They slither about at night searching for food and by day they tend to hunker down in cool, dark crevices around the garden. There are about 90 different types of snails in the UK. They are an essential part of the food chain. Snails eat dead and decaying plant matter (as well as some living plants too), but they are food themselves for all sorts of creatures. Song thrushes eat snails and bash them against rocks to reach the protein rich creature inside, then the broken shells are used by other garden birds to raise their calcium levels so that they lay strong shelled eggs. But did you know that there are three species of bees that use empty snail shells as waterproof houses for their babies?
Marvellous Millipedes
Millipedes love dark, damp places in the garden and can be found in the soil and our compost heaps. Millipedes don’t have a million legs, depending on the species they can have 47 to 197 legs. Millipedes are herbivores and only eat dead and decaying leaf matter. They are gentle and fairly slow creatures and will curl up if disturbed or when they feel threatened. If they lose a leg after a tussle with a predator like a bird, they can regrow a new one. Gently disturb a patch of soil or the compost bin and see if you can find a millipede in your garden.
Wonder Worms
Worms are possibly the most important mini-beasts in our gardens. In fact, worms are a bit like the canary in the coalmine. If you’ve got lots of worms it means you have a healthy garden, especially if your soil is brimming with worms. Worms move through the soil, making tunnels as they go, this aerates the soil improves drainage around plant roots. Worms process organic matter like dead leaves and roots and transform it into a nutrient rich ‘black gold’ that is a fantastic way to feed our plants. You can set up a wormery and ‘keep’ some worms as wild pets, where they will transform your kitchen peelings into plant food. Have a rummage in the compost bin and find a few wriggly worms. These protein rich mini-beasts are essential food for ground feeding birds like robins, blackbirds and thrushes.
