These Spiders Are Watching You… There’s a spider in the southern United States called the Smiley-face Spider because of the funny markings on its back. Henry thinks it looks more like a spooky mask than a smiley face so we thought we’d feature it for Halloween. It’s quite a pretty little thing and harmless enough […]
Monthly Archives: October 2012
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Halloween Insects
Death’s Head Hawkmoth It’s Halloween, so what better insect to talk about that the spooky sounding Death’s Head Hawkmoth? It gets its name from the skull-shaped mark behind its head – like in this picture by Trevor Hartsell In fact, there are 3 types of Death’s Head Hawkmoth and you may be lucky enough to […]
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Spider Catcher
How to Catch a Spider Unless you suffer from a particular sensitivity, most native species of British spider are virtually harmless. So at this time of year, when you’re more likely than not to find them coming into your home, don’t be afraid to give them a helping hand back outside. The kindest eviction method is a jar […]
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BBC Wiltshire
Buzzing at the BBC Interview Transcription [Mark O’Donnell BBC] You may remember, last week, we were talking about a new shop, a new PopUp shop that’s opened up in Chippenham Emery Gate, the shopping centre there. It’s going to sell, locally sourced goods and provide employment for local young people as well. We were LIVE there, […]
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Butterfly beauty
A rubbish photo of a gorgeous butterfly! The Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) is one of the UK’s most colourful and easily recognised butterflies. It has very distinctive wing markings – brown, red, and black with orange bands and white spots. A bit like how the robin-red-breast is especially noticeable in winter because of its cheery colour in drab times and because it is one of the […]
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Up close and personal
There were some great photos of spiders and insects in the Telegraph this week. Henry and Catherine were delighted to see other people taking such an interest in mini-beasts – and taking some beautiful photos too! You can check them out here. Enjoy!
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Crosses and diadems – more spiders!
We found a lovely specimen of an Araneus diadematus or European Garden Spider – unfortunately we found it in Henry’s bedroom so he wasn’t too pleased! We caught it in a glass and slid a card under it. This frightened it, so it curled its legs up and played dead. In fact it stayed like […]
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BBC Tweets Insect House
Wow! The BBC are tweeting about our Insect Houses which are on display in PopUp Wiltshire, Emery Gate Shopping Centre, Emery Lane, Chippenham, SN15 3JP
Crafts for Kids
Wildlife Pond Mosaic
Making a Mosaic I made a “pond wildlife” themed mosaic to cover a boring cement slab septic tank lid in Nana’s garden in Australia. She’s known locally now as ‘the lady with the posh septic’. Mosaics are very easy to make: here’s how to make your own. What you’ll need: Paper and several thick black […]
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Nasty Nits
What To Do About Nits Scratch, scratch, scratch. Oh dear, we have nits. Well, head lice faeces actually, as itching is the reaction to head louse poo, spit and skin. That’s what causes the unmistakable itchy feeling at the back of the neck. It’s an unpleasant thought but it’s probably an inevitable result of having two […]
