Day 31 Skylarks and adder's tongues...

If you go down to the woods today ........... you might just hear the wonderful song of a skylark, particularly if you are at Lower Woods in South Gloucestershire. Situated next to Inglestone Common with it's wonderful open grasslands, this area combines some very special habitats in a very small space. It's not just skylarks you may hear, but also chiff chaffs, song thrushes, willow warblers and blackcaps. Follow the links to the excellent RSPB site where you can hear the call of all these birds. If you have a smart phone, there's also a very good app called Birds UK that you can download which will help you to identify birds and their calls when you're out and about.

We recently took a class of students from Hawkesbury Upton primary school on an adventure here to discover the delights of the Common. Pupils learnt about the history of the common, identified some of the wildflowers, made tiny nature collages and learnt some native bird song, you can find some of the activities and games we played here.

Inglestone Common is one of only two places in the whole country where you can find the rare Adder's-tongue spearwort plant which grows on the edge of the seasonal pond.It is part of the buttercup family and particularly favours ponds that dry out and are trampled by livestock around the edge. The other known site is also in Gloucestershire.

Lower woods is also a lovely place to explore but bring your wellies as the woodlands rise out of damp, clay soil so can get very muddy, perfect for spotting animal tracks and trails. See if you can find deer, badger or hedgehog tracks.

Day 22 - Secret trails, tree climbing and mini dens

Summer is a great time to go exploring with your friends! Have a look on our website to find a nature reserve near you, or try the Visit Woods site to discover somewhere new to go. There are lots of things you can do when out and about in a wild place, try making a trail to a summer treasure or find a large tree to climb. When you are hidden amongst the leaves, sit really quietly and look around, the quieter you are the more wildlife you will see. Imagine being a baby bird in a nest or a spider building a web or even a caterpillar nibbling away at a leaf.

All creatures need air, water, food and shelter so why not build a mini shelter for an imaginary creature of the woods, using sticks, leaves, moss,and anything else you can find. See if you can camouflage it at the base of a tree or under a large fern perhaps, to keep your creature safe from predators. Get your friend to make one too and then compare the two. Did you create luxury accommodation or a budget hostel?