A place to explore

Bloomfield Garden

A small community garden by the canal, looked after by a local school and Plant Environment.

Try a short general practice here

4 spots in walking order, about 10 minutes. All of them have something to ask this week.

Four short stops, in any order. Every stop is something you can find from the paths.

Spot 1

The little ponds

Either pond: the old bath or the one edged with bamboo.

A world in the water

Find either pond: the old bath or the one edged with bamboo. Look closely at the surface.

What can you see on the water?

An insect walking on top: Hairs on its feet keep it on top of the water. It feels the ripples when an insect falls in.
Something moving under the plants: Frogs and newts use small ponds like this. Some frogs spend the winter at the bottom, buried in the mud.
Nothing moving yet: Frogs and newts use small ponds like this. Pond skaters walk on the water from April to November.

An old bath can hold a whole little world.

That is probably a pond skater.

When a small insect falls in, the pond skater feels the ripples, and runs over to catch it. Some frogs even spend the winter at the bottom, buried in the mud.

Common in London in these weeks, though not recorded at this exact spot.

Spot 2

The bug hotels

A bug hotel with a green roof.

Room for a tiny neighbour

Find a bug hotel with a green roof. Look into the hollow canes without touching.

Are any of the holes blocked up?

Yes, with mud: She laid her eggs inside in spring and walled them in with mud. The young bees stay in there all winter.
Yes, with bits of leaf: She cuts neat discs out of leaves, often rose leaves, and builds her nest with them.
No, they are all open: Woodlice, centipedes and spiders shelter under bark and old wood. Ladybirds spend the winter among dry sticks.

For something very small, a hollow stem can be a place to raise a family.

That is probably the work of a mason bee.

A leafcutter bee cuts neat discs out of leaves, often rose leaves, and builds her nest with them. Ladybirds spend the winter among dry sticks.

Common in London in these weeks, though not recorded at this exact spot.

Spot 3

The growing beds

The painted growing beds.

A home needs food nearby

Find the painted growing beds. If there are flowers, watch for visitors.

Who came to the flowers?

Bees, round and fuzzy: In autumn, bees gather as much as they can from the last flowers before the cold.
Hoverflies, thin and striped: They look like wasps, but they are flies and cannot sting. The stripes make birds leave them alone.
No visitors or flowers today: Look for seed heads, bare stems or new leaves. The growing beds change through the year.

Shelter is only part of the story. There needs to be food nearby, too.

The beds won’t be full of flowers every time you visit.

They look like wasps, but they’re flies, and they can’t sting. The stripes make birds think they’re dangerous, so birds leave them alone.

Common in London in these weeks, though not recorded at this exact spot.

Spot 4

The olive tree

The olive tree in the painted tyres.

Someone made room

Find the olive tree in the painted tyres. Look at the tree and what it is growing in.

Can you find any olives?

Yes, green ones: Every olive starts green and turns black as it ripens. In Britain that takes a warm summer.
Yes, dark ones: Every olive starts green and turns black on the tree. In Britain that takes a warm summer.
No olives: In Britain an olive tree only fruits after a warm summer. Its silvery leaves stay on all winter.

Someone planted this here, and someone keeps caring for it.

In Britain an olive tree only fruits after a warm summer.

Every olive starts green, and turns black as it ripens. Olive trees come from hotter places, so in Britain that takes a warm summer.

Common in London in these weeks, though not recorded at this exact spot.

Rewyld asks you one of these where you already are. Open Rewyld

Where this comes from

Garden and stewardship details from Plant Environment's case for support and Edward Wilson Primary's letter of support (Cited, not reproduced)
The place's location, description and photo from Pointmoon

Each question was written to a naturalist review, and the ones that could not be stood behind at this site were cut rather than softened. Every question asks you to look, never to pick or to touch.