Water voles at Eco-club

Water voles were the topic for the Foxglove Eco-Club today. The children learned how to identify signs of these elusive and threatened mammals and some managed to get a glimpse of them too.

Here is the group with the clay pad from one of the mink rafts. It had very clear Water Vole footprints and droppings were seen on the raft. The group also discovered stems that had been eaten by some of our newly released voles up on the wet meadow. They helped by putting out a 'floating latrine' on one of the wetland pools to help the juvenile voles settle into their new habitat!

Caterpillars are always popular with the Eco-Club members and today was no exception! A Grey Dagger moth caterpillar was found and put into a special mesh container with some of its foodplant (Hawthorn leaves). Painted Lady butterfly caterpillars are also being watched carefully by the group members who will hopefully get to see them at all stages of their development and release them when fully grown.

Thanks to Elizabeth and Sue, everyone had a fun morning and went away with Elizabeth's activities to do at home and a 'sensitive' plant to nurture (and not cuddle too much)!