Challenge 19: Discover some secret wildlife

Points available: 3

About the challenge

Some wildlife is not very easy to see because it only comes out at night or is very shy. Become a nature detective and look for signs of these visitors. Look for footprints in muddy ground. Begin with human footprints and dogs because these are easy to spot then using online resources learn to recognise some of the other more tricky prints. You’ll be amazed to know a deer used the same path as you or that a hedgehog crossed in front of you.

Helpful tips

You can also look for signs of insects  on the leaves of plants. All kinds of creatures feed on the sap stored in the leaves from aphids to caterpillars. They leave behind them a trail of evidence from  chewed  leaves, the leaf miners  hidden tunnels, strange growths known as galls and silken webs
You could even take your investigations to the next level and use a trail camera to see if any creature visits your garden after dark.

More information

Try a walk through East Dartmoor National Nature Reserve using their Tracks and Trails  Leaflet