Dragonflies, butterflies, wildflowers, sunshine and even a newt! All emerged to greet 44 children from Landulph School on their recent visit to Duke Orchard and Duchess Green. What a wonderful time we had as members of Landulph Climate Group (LCG) and Orchard Group (LOG) welcomed the school to these very special community green spaces and explored all they have to offer.
With a series of activities set up, the children had plenty to hear, see, and even taste! In Duchess Green we listened out for birds and spotted plenty of butterflies and dragonflies out in the sunshine. The butterflies are thriving in this space with its areas of long grass and wide variety of wildflowers now emerging, all offering such important habitat for insects and invertebrates. The children had the opportunity to ID the flowers, learn about the importance of a dead hedge for wildlife and look for their trees in the Miyawaki Forest.We had lots of fun studying the pond life too using equipment on loan from the Tamar Valley National Landscape. Pond skaters, water boatmen, snails and the cute newt amused us all! We also spotted a broad-bodied chaser dragonfly laying her eggs on the pond plants around the edge.
The children then had the opportunity to explore Duke Orchard and look for all the different fruit and nut trees growing so well there. A taster of juice on a hot summers day was topped off with a fun talk about the ‘woo woo and poo’! We all learnt a lot and laughed a lot, and we are so looking forward to welcoming the school again for our next nature adventure.
'A dead hedge is a 5-star bug hotel'
'This is the second best school trip - after the Eden Project'
On identifying wild flowers using a book: 'I think I could like this'
After the visit, children from the school talked to LOG members when they met them in the Parish.
Two children brought their younger sibling, mother and granny and showed them around Landulph Orchard Green.
The Landulph Climate Group have developed a Nature Explorer Kit with equipment purchased by the Parish Council and donated by Tamar Valley National Landscape.
One child requested a visit for his birthday treat. We spent over an hour in Duchess Green trialling the new Nature Explorer Kit and recording the growth and health of his trees in the Miyawaki mini forest. He remembered the things he had learnt on the school visit and showed his mum round. He particularly liked the compass activity and subsequently bought a compass with his birthday money. His mother uses a powered wheelchair and had few problems with the paths.
