How to look for wildlife in your local space

Welcome to The Regenerators.

Created in partnership with the RSPB.

Have you ever wondered about the exciting world of the animals living in the green spaces around you?

Maybe you’ve seen the trees, bushes, flowers and grass, but have you thought about what might be living there?

With some simple techniques, you can discover and take a closer look at the many amazing creatures that depend on our green spaces.

Explore different habitats and learn how to collect, observe and record the minibeasts that live there. And you might even spot some other animals and birds too!

Join Lucy Lapwing as she heads to her local green space on the hunt for some minibeasts.

A habitat is the place or environment where a creature lives and calls home.

Grasses - Long grass is a great habitat for lots of different creatures which enjoy a sunny and dry environment. For example, spiders, ladybirds, flies and crickets.

Trees - A wide range of creatures live in the different parts of a tree, from the leaves to the bark. Oak trees can support over 200 insect species alone. Trees are home to creatures such as birds, moths, bees, snails, flies and many more.

Undergrowth - The ground is home to many creatures. Depending on how dark and damp the ground is or how dry and bright it is, different creatures will live there. You can usually find beetles who like to run along the ground.

Deadwood - Deadwood is a very important habitat and is usually found in woodlands. However, a tree log left in the undergrowth provides the same kind of habitat. Many creatures who like a dark and damp environment live in and under logs, for example woodlice, millipedes and slugs.

Try these survey techniques to explore different habitats with respect and care. Remember, always make sure to return any creatures to the place you found them.

• Use a soft paintbrush to gently move creatures into viewing pots. Don’t do this with slugs and snails and don’t try to catch bees or wasps (they can sting to defend themselves). View butterflies from a distance, so that you don’t damage their wings.

• Carefully turn over a log or stone to see if there are any creatures underneath. Remember to put them back how you found them.

• Try making a pitfall trap. Place a yoghurt pot with holes in the bottom (done under adult supervision) into a small hole and add a couple of small stones. Check on the trap daily and remove once you’ve finished.

• Have a go at tree beating. Lay a white sheet under a tree or bush, close your eyes and gently shake a branch to see what falls out.

• Sweep nets are great for longer grass. Drag them smoothly and gently over vegetation to scoop up minibeasts.

Using techniques to survey and explore nature around you is called fieldwork.

When doing fieldwork, you might want to learn more about what you see. Try to record what you find as you go along so you can investigate more afterwards.

Here are some suggestions to help you do this:

• Create a table to record the types of creatures you find. If you spot a minibeast, how many legs does it have? What colour is it?

• You might want to know which habitats had the most creatures, so you could make a tally chart to record how many creatures you find. Which habitats had the most? Why do you think this might be?

• You could draw a picture of what you find. Labels can be helpful when you look back at your picture afterwards.

• If you have a smartphone with you, you could take photos of what you find.

Here are some minibeasts you could find when you survey your local green space:

You're ready to go. You can use this interactive to learn about some of the creatures you might find. Now, get hunting. Good luck!

Wild Challenge

The RSPB’s Wild Challenge award has more activities to help you learn about and engage with nature. You can find out more on the RSPB website.

Explore more lessons and content from around the BBC.