Henry's Wildlife and Nature

Last week I went to the beach with my family. Me and my cousin, Amelia, had a walk by the sea and found a lot of jellyfish. They were all different sizes but we didn't know what type they were. We didn't touch them as we knew they sting. When I got home I looked on the Wildlife trusts website and found a good picture at the bottom. Compass jellyfish This type of jellyfish will eat small fish, crabs and even other jellyfish. They give a very nasty sting so luckily we didn't touch them. Once they have stung something, jellyfish often leave the tentacle behind and can still sting with it even when it is not connected to their body. Young fish can often be seen swimming around the compass jellyfish's tentacles, giving them protection from predators. People are still not sure why they don't get stung and eaten by the jellyfish though! After we had a look at the jellyfish and put them back in the sea with our spades, we went rock pooling. We caught 2 crabs, 5 shrimps and

On Thursday (23rd July) my Mum found a Sprollie for sale and he looked perfect. A Sprollie is a mix of a Springer Spaniel and a Border Collie, although Max is 3/4 Spaniel we think. We went to pick him up from Amlwch, Anglesey. Max really likes our garden and house and is now used to the family. He loves a cuddle on the sofa and a little play. On the 24th July he went to the vets to have his first lot of injections. He was a brave boy at the vets but was a bit scared of the bigger dogs barking. We can't take him out on walks yet until he gets his next lot of injections in a month but after that he will be able to take him on our adventures with us although only little ones to start off with, he's only a puppy.   Max playing Max and me Tommy and Max Tommy, me and Max Max asleep

The other day we went to Chester Zoo. Although the weather was rubbish we still had a wonderful time. We usually go quite often because we are members but due to restrictions the zoo was closed down. The zoo were struggling to feed the animals and were worried about them. Luckily the government said that zoos could open! We love going to the zoo to see animals from all over the World. Chester Zoo have 128 acres of zoological gardens which house 35,000 animals and have 2 million visitors every year. The zoo was opened in 1931 by George Mottershead and his family. The BBC did a series called 'Our Zoo' all about how the zoo started and the problems they had. There have been loads of changes and improvement over the years, two recent additions are The Madagascar area which opened in 2018 and the new lion enclosure which opened in 2019. There newest additions are the first ever Andean bear twins to be born in the UK! We didn't manage two see them this time but hopefully we will

The other day on our walk, we saw this moth in a tunnel. Brown-tail moth The brown-tail moth is a moth of the family Erebidae. It is native to Europe, neighbouring countries in Asia, and the north coast of Africa. The caterpillars of the brown-tail moth have hairs which are an irritant to human skin and leave a bad rash, so they should not be handled. They are medium sized  and have a wingspan range of up to 36-42mm. In July or August, the female lays batches of eggs and covers them with hairs from her abdomen. The larva become active again in early spring and pupate in a cocoon during June and July. The moths are often seen flying around in July and August and are attracted to light.

The other day we went on a walk to Bod Petryal. This next bit of information has been taken from the Natural Resources Wales website . The many miles of quiet forest roads make Clocaenog Forest an ideal location for family cycling and a short cycle trail is waymarked from Bod Petryal. Clocaenog Forest is also home to red squirrels. These secretive animals range over large areas so you will need to keep your eyes peeled and your fingers crossed to spot one! This area was once part of the Pool Park Estate and Bod Petryal (which means "rectangular dwelling" in Welsh) is named after the old gamekeeper’s cottage. The Keeper’s Stroll walking trail goes through the oldest conifer trees in the forest and passes by the gamekeeper’s cottage. The picnic site has benches set around a large lake.  Here are photos of some of the wildlife we saw. A hoverfly siting on a dandelion Little orange fly, possibly a species of phorid fly I think this one might be a speckled bush cricket. A cheese s

We went for a walk to find a local scarecrow, we managed to find the Gruffalo. We went on a 6KM walk and found lots of wildlife. Hoverfly This hoverfly's scientific name is Helophilus trivittatus. They are often found in moist areas and wetlands. Common blue My little brother spotted this butterfly. I think its a common blue, but it colours are a bit patchy. I think it might have just hatched from its pupa.    Common red soldier beetle Also known as bloodsucker beetle or hogweed bonking beetle. Adults feed on aphids, and also eat pollen and nectar. Larvae prey on invertebrates, such as slugs and snails. There are about 40 species of soldier beetle in the UK, displaying various colour combinations of black, red and orange. Oh no its a Gruffalo!

Sorry I have been quiet this week. The weather has been rubbish but we still have been going on walks and looking through the window. Here are some of the wildlife I have found this week! A small tortoiseshell butterfly enjoying the rare glimpse of sunshine The squirrel has been visiting And the Woodpecker! Ours seems to be enjoying the new peanut feeder as well We are not sure what this flower is that we saw on our walk, but it is very pretty We have had what we think is a baby robin visiting. He/she comes very close to the door And also a baby goldfinch We saw a harlequin ladybird on the wall by our house The weather is looking more promising this weekend so hopefully with restrictions easing, we should be able to go somewhere for a walk.