This is the final Nature Classroom post before the summer holidays. We hope you have been enjoying exploring the natural world with us this term. We thought we would finish the term with some fun activities engaging with the wildlife on your doorstep. There is information about a fantastic citizen science project from Butterfly Conservation, as well as wildlife-watching activities as part of Summer at the Museums. We will be posting fun family activities in Crafty Creatures over the summer holidays, so do check those out.
These activities support learning in the following areas:
Identify and name a variety of common animals
Identifying that most living things live in habitats to which they are suited.
Different habitats provide for the basic needs of different kinds of animals and plants, and how they depend on each other.
Recognise that environments can change and that this can sometimes pose dangers to living things.
Picturing Nature
How closely do you look at your local habitats? Join us as we explore the animals living near you.
Task: Use the nature frame to record the wildlife where you are
Image credit: Matt Lowe
First print out the nature frame, or make your own from and A4 sheet of paper. Ask a grown up to help you cut out the middle.
Now discover the wildlife where you are using the frame. Put your frame down on an area of grass and draw what you see in the Grass section of the frame. Do the same for gravel and path.
Now take a white tray or sheet and place it under a tree with the frame on top. Shake the branches and see what falls out. Draw it in the Trees section of your frame. For the Flowers and Water sections, hold up the frame in front of a flower or area of water and take a photo through it. Draw what you see in these sections.
You can find full instructions and other activities for your nature frame by downloading our Picturing Nature sheet:
Why not draw a picture of your summer of wildlife to frame with your new nature frame?
Fluttering Butterflies
Summer is the perfect time to look out for butterflies. On a sunny day you might see them from your window, in your garden or out on a walk. Butterflies are easily frightened off – to spot them, it is best to keep still or move quietly, and try not to cast a shadow over the butterfly you are watching or it will fly off. A bit of patience will be rewarded with a real treat.
Task: Take part in the Big Butterfly Count
Image credit: John Howlett
The Big Butterfly Count is run by the charity Butterfly Conservation. This year it is running from Friday July 17 – Sunday August 9. On a sunny day, find yourself a spot to count butterflies from and do just that for 15 minutes. Butterflies can tell us a lot about the health of our habitats, so your data can help scientists to take the pulse of nature. Here’s our Museum Research Assistant Matt Hayes with some top tips on spotting butterflies:
Here are our top 10 butterflies to keep a look out for this summer:
Small White, Pieris rapae – As the name suggests, this is a white butterfly. Often confused with the Large White (number 2 on our list), but the small white rarely has a wingspan of more than 5cm. They go through more than one generation in a summer, with the second brood peaking in July/August time.
(c) University of Cambridge
Large White, Pieris brassicae – Along with Small Whites, these are often called Cabbage Whites as their caterpillars feed on cabbages. Again, it is the second brood that you will be seeing in July/August.
(c) University of Cambridge
Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta– With striking red stripes and white patches on dark wings, this beautiful butterfly migrates to the UK, arriving during the first warm days of spring. From then they can be seen on the wing until winter.
(c) University of Cambridge
Peacock, Aglais io – Named after the eye spots on its wings, Peacock butterflies can be seen nearly all year round. Numbers die down in June when they reproduce, with a new generation emerging by August.
(c) University of Cambridge
Painted Lady, Vanessa cardui– An elegant butterfly, with mottled orange, black and white wings. This is another migratory species that breeds here once it arrives. The first generation of UK bred adults usually start to emerge in July/August.
(c) University of Cambridge
Comma, Polygonia c-album – This butterfly is named after the white comma-shaped marking that can be seen when the wings are closed. It can be seen nearly all year, with a peak in numbers in July.
(c) University of Cambridge
Small Tortoiseshell, Aglais urticae – This species can be seen nearly all year, with two generations over the summer before hunkering down to overwinter. Their wings have a delicate mottled pattern, giving them their name.
(c) University of Cambridge
Meadow Brown, Maniola jurtina – a summer butterfly on the wing from June to September. As its name suggests, you can see this butterfly in meadows and grasslands across the UK.
(c) University of Cambridge
Speckled Wood, Pararge aegeria – showing that brown doesn’t mean boring in the butterfly world, a close look at this species rewards you with a beautiful speckled pattern on the wings.
(c) University of Cambridge
Holly Blue, Celastrina argiolus – This butterfly is easily confused with the Common Blue, particularly in the males as they are both bright blue in colour. In the females it is a different story, with Holly Blue females having blue wings with black edges, while the Common Blue female is brown.
(c) University of Cambridge
Task: Keep a butterfly diary
Print off our Butterfly Diary sheet, or create your own in a notebook and keep track of the butterflies you spot this summer: what they look like, where you saw them and when.
Can you see any patterns in where you see particular butterflies? Think back to Matt’s video – can you remember that some butterflies are adapted to live in grasslands, some in woodlands and other habitats. Can you see this in your diary too?
Task: Create a butterfly
Did you know that butterfly wings are covered in tiny scales? These give them their colours and patterns. Take inspiration from nature and have a go at designing and collaging your own butterfly. We have three templates to choose from, each the outline of a different type of British butterfly: the peacock, the comma, and the holly blue.
Here’s how to do it:
- Print out your outline on paper or thin card
- Find some colourful magazines,newspapers or wrapping paper to recycle. Cut into small squares or rectangles to make the scales for your butterfly wings.
- Using a glue stick or PVA glue, create your pattern from these paper squares like a mosaic on your butterfly wings.
- Cut round your butterfly and you’re finished. You could also add some thread or strips of paper for antennae on its head.
Idea: Why not collage both sides of your butterfly? The undersides of a butterfly’s wings are often very different to the top surface – think of the brown underside of a peacock butterfly, or the green speckled pattern on the underside of an orange-tip butterfly. When the wings of these butterflies are closed they are camouflaged so can hide from predators.
These activities are part of Summer at the Museums by the University of Cambridge Museums. Find activities from other museums on their website.
Museum of Zoology Blog 
One thought on “Watching Summer Wildlife”