Bug and Plant Hunt
We feel really passionately about teaching the connections between our native plants and invertebrates (bugs). Many of our native plants have multiple species of invertebrates that rely on them. In New Zealand we have over 2000 known species of moths. Most New Zealand moths are found nowhere else in the world (92% endemic) and many of these rely on a specific plant as a host plant. By restoring our native forests, we are restoring the habitats of these species. This hunt is designed to get our tamariki thinking about these connections and looking closely at the plants around them. It is best done in Spring time. Encourage children to look for signs of bugs, such as nibbled leaves, chrysalises and webs. Watch a flowering species closely and count how many different bugs visit the flowers. You might spot our tiny native flies, bees, and pollinating beetles. Maybe tamariki could take photos of bugs on different plants and make their own list of connections? This could even become a statistics activity for maths!
A fun thing to do is explore the garden or a bush area at night with head lamps. You’ll discover all of the bugs that were hiding during the day! The spiders will be out spinning webs, moths will be busy pollinating flowers, wētā will have emerged from their holes, stick insects will be munching on leaves, peripatus and other critters that you don’t see in daylight will be out exploring. Give it a go!
Click on the picture to download the pdf and print this resource.