Autumn - April and May nature study ideas

We've had a wet and stormy summer, so a sunny day in autumn is a day not to be missed. We pack camera and binoculars and head off in to the outdoors.

The first think we notice is how long (and strange) our shadows are. In autumn and winter, our part of the world (the southern hemisphere) tilts away from the sun causing shorter days but also changing the angle of the sun.

As we walk the children play shadow games - positioning their shadows so they stand on our shadow shoulders, or turning us into giants. It reminds me that autumn is a good time to make sundials and talk about shadows.

Autumn is a good time to encourage children to observe the weather as it changes every day - from sun to rain, wind to stillness, storms to fine weather.

Cicadas in the Garden

It is the beginning of March, officially autumn, and the cicadas are calling frantically. In the garden and in the bush, the noise is almost deafening.

I have written about cicadas in In the Garden, here is Ned's drawing of a cicada from page 22.

Wellington's flowering kohekohe trees

Kohekohe flowers

 The kohekohe is an unusual flowering tree. Maybe you can spot something unusual about the flowers.

Autumn Fungi

Now that the dry summer is over and the autumn rains are here, fungi are making an appearance in all sorts of places. This is a great time of year to go on a fungi spotting walk.

Look closely under trees ...

Brown pink gill mushrooms