Short stories about our neighbours. Look for the leaf: those parts are real facts.
A story about a butterfly
Meet Bea the Butterfly. In our story, Bea is drifting over a garden looking for a sunny place to land.
Butterflies need warm wing muscles to fly, so they often rest in sunlight.
When a butterfly lands on a flower, it unrolls its proboscis to sip nectar.
Bea doesn't know the garden has a name. She only knows where the flowers are.
Next time you're outside: Can you find a sunny spot where a butterfly might rest?
A story about a honeybee
Meet Hum the Honeybee. In our story, Hum has just found a patch of bright flowers.
Honeybees can share where food is by dancing in the hive. The direction of the dance points toward the flowers.
Pollen sticks to a bee's fuzzy body and gets carried to the next flower.
Hum doesn't keep the flowers to herself. The whole hive gets to know.
Next time you're outside: From a safe distance, can you see a bee move from one flower to another?
A story about a ladybug
Meet Dot the Ladybug, walking up a stem in our story.
Ladybugs eat aphids, tiny insects that suck juice from plants.
Under a ladybug's spotted shell are thin wings that unfold for flying.
Dot lifts her shell, unfolds her wings, and she's off.
Next time you're outside: Can you find a plant where tiny insects might live?
A story about a ant
Meet Tikki the Ant, walking home along a path in our story.
Ants leave scent that other ants follow, which is why they often walk in lines.
Many ants carry food back to share with their colony.
Tikki isn't lost. The trail tells her the way.
Next time you're outside: If you see ants in a line, can you guess where they are going?
A story about a garden snail
Meet Shelly the Snail. In our story, it has just rained, and Shelly is waking up.
Snails need moisture, so many are more active in damp weather.
A snail's eyes are on the tips of its long stalks.
Shelly isn't in a hurry. Her home comes with her.
Next time you're outside: After rain, can you spot a shiny snail trail?
A story about a earthworm
Meet Millie the Earthworm. She spends much of her life beneath the ground.
Earthworms tunnel through soil, which lets air and water reach plant roots.
Worms eat dead leaves and leave behind castings that make soil richer.
Most people never see Millie at work. The garden grows anyway.
Next time you're outside: Can you find a spot where the soil looks soft and dark?
A story about a caterpillar
Meet Munch the Caterpillar, chewing a leaf in our story.
Caterpillars eat a lot because they need energy to change into a butterfly or moth.
Inside a pupa, a caterpillar's body reorganises into a new shape.
Munch can't see the future. She just keeps eating.
Next time you're outside: Can you find a leaf with a bite taken out of it?
A story about a sparrow
Meet Chip the Sparrow. In our story, Chip has found a dusty patch of ground.
Sparrows flutter in dry dust, which helps keep their feathers in good condition.
Sparrows feed their chicks insects, which give them lots of energy to grow.
Chip shakes off the dust and chirps to the others.
Next time you're outside: Can you spot a bird hopping instead of walking?
A story about a pigeon
Meet Coo the Pigeon, sitting on a ledge high above a busy street.
Pigeons are known for being able to find their way home from far away.
When a pigeon walks, its head stays still for a moment, then jumps forward.
Coo bobs along the pavement, then flutters back up to the ledge.
Next time you're outside: Can you watch a pigeon's head as it walks?
A story about a sunflower
Meet Sunny the Sunflower, standing tall in a garden in our story.
Young sunflowers move their flower heads to follow the sun during the day.
The middle of a sunflower holds hundreds of tiny flowers that can each become a seed.
Sunny doesn't move her feet. The visitors come to her.
Next time you're outside: Can you find spiral patterns in the middle of a flower?
A story about a dandelion
Meet Puff the Dandelion, a fluffy white ball in our story.
Each dandelion seed has a tiny parachute that helps it float on the wind.
Seeds that land in a good spot can grow into new plants.
A breeze comes by, and Puff's seeds drift off to new places.
Next time you're outside: Can you find a plant growing somewhere surprising?
A story about a leafy tree
Meet Old Oak, a tree who has stood in the same park for many years in our story.
Trees make their own food in their leaves using sunlight.
Birds, insects, moss and fungi can all live on one tree.
Old Oak doesn't need to go anywhere. The neighbours come to stay.
Next time you're outside: Can you count three living things on or around one tree?
A story about a dragonfly
Meet Zip the Dragonfly, zooming over a sparkly pond in our story.
Dragonflies start their lives underwater as nymphs before they climb out and grow wings.
Dragonflies can hover in one place, just like a tiny helicopter.
Zip lands on a reed, wings flat and shining in the sun.
Next time you're outside: Can you find a place where water and plants meet?
A story about a grasshopper
Meet Hopper the Grasshopper, sitting on a tall blade of grass in our story.
Grasshoppers have long, strong back legs that let them leap a long way.
Many grasshoppers make music by rubbing their legs against their wings.
Hopper hears footsteps and, boing, she's gone.
Next time you're outside: Can you find a patch of tall grass and watch it for one minute?
A story about a squirrel
Meet Nutty the Squirrel, digging a little hole in the park in our story.
Many squirrels bury nuts in lots of different places to eat later.
Nuts that are never dug up again can sprout and grow into trees.
Nutty never comes back for one nut. Years later, a little tree stands there.
Next time you're outside: Can you find a young tree growing on its own?
A story about a crow
Meet Caw the Crow, watching the park from a high branch in our story.
Crows are clever problem solvers, and some can even use sticks as tools.
Crows often live in families, and older chicks may help raise younger ones.
Caw calls out, and from across the park, her family calls back.
Next time you're outside: Can you hear two birds calling to each other?
A story about a frog
Meet Ribbit the Frog, sitting beside a puddle after the rain in our story.
Every frog started out as a tadpole swimming in water.
Many frogs call loudly after rain, and each kind of frog has its own song.
Ribbit puffs up and sings, and all around the garden, others join in.
Next time you're outside: After rain, can you hear any animals that you don't hear on dry days?
A story about a rose
Meet Rosie the Rose, blooming bright pink by a garden wall in our story.
The prickles on a rose stem help protect the plant from being eaten.
Bees visit rose flowers to collect pollen.
A bee lands on Rosie, and soon it's off to the next flower.
Next time you're outside: Can you find a plant that protects itself with prickles or spikes?
A story about a mushroom
Meet Cap the Mushroom, popping up under a tree after the rain in our story.
The mushroom we see is only a small part of a fungus. The rest is hidden underground.
Fungi break down dead leaves and wood, turning them into rich soil.
Cap stays for a few days, then is gone. The fungus underground keeps working.
Next time you're outside: Can you find a shady, damp place where fungi might grow?
A story about a moss
Meet Velvet the Moss, a soft green carpet on an old stone wall in our story.
Moss can soak up rainwater and hold it like a sponge.
Tiny creatures, too small to see easily, can live inside moss.
To a tiny creature, Velvet is a whole green forest.
Next time you're outside: Can you find something green growing on a wall or stone?