A Visit from Ruru: owl inspiration

Ruru in my garden

A few weeks ago I heard a commotion in the garden - the blackbirds were complaining, it sounded like they were giving another bird a good telling off. I was curious to see what all the fuss was about. That's when I saw a ruru sitting on a branch having its daytime nap. The owl didn't seem at all bothered by the blackbirds and eventually they gave up and moved into another part of the garden. 

I've heard ruru or morepork at night - their distinctive call echoes in the gully nearby - but I never imagined they might be hunting in our garden. These owls hunt wētā, moths, cicadas, small birds such as silver eyes, rats and mice. They need large trees with holes or cavities for their nests. We have some large trees but I don't know if any would be large enough for them to nest in.

There's something about their large eyes and piercing stare that is slightly unnerving, even when they are sleepy like this one. Meeting this ruru inspired me to write a little haiku.

Join the campaign for Earth - our other mother

My instagram contribution to the Our Other Mother campaign

Nature fills me with wonder, I'm in awe of its beauty and power, I share this wonder with parents and children in the books that I write. Most recently I've written about being Nature Heroes. I believe each of us can be a Nature Hero, no matter how young or old or where we live. But I know that people can act on emotions, they need to care enough to take the first steps. I love the "Our Other Mother" campaign because it gives us a thousand reasons to care. Each contribution to the campaign reminds us of the "mother-child" relationship that exists between us and Planet Earth, the source of our life.

Get Creative and Join in

Here's what Parents for Climate Aotearoa have to say about how to get involved:

Young or old, professional illustrator or child artist, everyone can contribute

Visit  https://www.parentsforclimatenz.org/our-other-mother for more details

Making Papier Mache Animals

 The wonderful papier mache tūī that accompanied me to the Imagine This! Festival at Porirua Library, was a huge hit with kids and parents. They were fascinated about how little it weighed and how life-like it looked. This lovely tūī was made by Meredith Thorpe, a Nelson-based artist. Parents and children asked me how to make a papier mache animal.

Meredith's Tūī

Making Native Bird Pop-up Cards - an activity for kiwi kids

Making native bird pop-up cards was a huge hit at Whitby Library last week. I've been taking part of the Porirua Library "Imagine This!" summer festival for children and this was the second workshop I ran. 

Nature pop-up cards are a great way to re-use greeting cards, scraps of paper, used Christmas or birthday wrapping paper, and images from old calendars and magazines. This activity worked well with age 6 and up.

How to make the Kiwi Pop-Up

Nature Books for Young People

Looking for some book present ideas for young people? Perhaps they've been fans of the 'explore and discover' books and are now teens. Perhaps they've got New Zealand Nature Heroes and love to read about nature and be inspired by nature heroes. Here's my top tips for young people from my reading this year.

Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty

Dara McAnulty is a young nature hero. His book Diary of a Young Naturalist is a must read for nature lovers, whether teens or adults. 

This book stands out head and shoulders above other books by young people on their nature experiences or activism. Dara is a talented writer and writes with extraordinary perception and intensity about his relationship with the natural world around him.

I am buoyed by the life springing out everywhere, in the garden, in the school grounds, even on the streets around the house. My heart crashes less against my chest. I feel in rhythm with nature, and I start becoming immersed in every moment again, letting each wave hit me and seep in. (May11)

Kids Writing About Nature - and some tips for parents

Last year I ran some writing workshops with local children for Porirua Harbour Trust. I introduced the children to the idea of writing poems that could take on the shape of what they are writing about.
Here are some of their Raindrop poems:

From "The Current 2" Porirua Harbour Trust 2019

This kind of poetry is called Concrete Poetry.  It doesn't have to have a line around it, the words can be placed to make the shape, like this:

A concrete poem about a pied stilt

At the Beach in New Zealand - explore and discover what lives there

"At the Beach" includes a lift-out identification card

"At the Beach: explore and discover the New Zealand seashore" was published in 2012 and is now a New Zealand Bestseller. The book comes with a lift-out (double-sided) identification card in the inside back cover. This is very popular, as it can be taken to the beach separately from the book. Unfortunately it can also get easily lost! I've noticed school and library copies often have it removed too. so Ned and I thought it should be available as PDF for schools and libraries to print out. 

New Zealand Nature Heroes

My latest book New Zealand Nature Heroes is 80 pages of "inspiration and activities for young conservationists". Stories of scientists and volunteers ....

Native Trees and Plants of New Zealand Brought Vividly to Life

The act of identifying and naming plants changes the way we see the bush. No longer is it a tangle of different greens, a confusing mass of different shape leaves. Bark, flowers, berries, leaves, all provide clues about the trees in the canopy above or help us distinguish the different plants in the understorey.  Once we can tell them apart the bush, wetlands, coast all begin to look very different to our eyes.

But learning about native plants even for those regularly in the bush can be a slow process. Among my Forest and Bird tramping group, there are repeated discussions as we remind ourselves about the differences between mataī and miro; mānuka and kānuka; horopito and toropapa. (Perhaps we can be forgiven for struggling to tell the latter two apart, as page 30 of The Meaning of Trees tells me this is likely to be down to plant mimicry.) 

In the end, it is rich descriptions and stories that help us remember the differences and characteristics. Toetoe has drooping flowers, those of pampas are erect and spear-like. Rangiora is the bushman’s friend, its thick leaves were handy for toilet paper or writing notes on. The blood red colour below the flaking bark of mataī was seen in some traditions as representing the blood of Tunaroa, the eel god slain by Māui. 

The Meaning of Trees: the history and uses of New Zealand’s native plants by Robert Vennell is a treasure trove of such rich descriptions and stories of our native trees, shrubs and and other plants such as vines, flax, bracken and even bull kelp. The book rewards repeated reading, and dipping into, as each time something new stands out, a whakataukī, a legend, or maybe where it got its name.

Discovering Birds' Nests - blown down in the wind

Nests feature in my children's book 'Whose Home is This?' illustrated by Fraser Williamson, which I'm excited to say is a finalist in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2019.

Half of the homes in the book belong to birds

I'm fascinated by how animals make their homes. In the spring I quietly observe the birds in my garden to see where they might be building their nests. In autumn and winter after a stormy night, I look in the garden or when I'm out on a bush walk to see if a bird's nest has been blown down by the wind. Garden or bush birds need only make their nests strong enough to last a month or two, just long enough for their chicks to grow big enough. For each new brood of chicks, they'll build a new nest. So the old nests eventually fall apart or get blown out of the tree.

Treasures to be Found at Butterfly Creek

Butterfly Creek is one of the most popular and well known walks in Wellington, but despite that I still meet people who have never been. It's perfect for a weekend picnic with the kids or grandkids, or a quiet 'pick-me-up' walk mid-week.

Picnic area at Butterfly Creek - cool on a hot day

First thing you need to know - and tell your children to avoid disappointment - the creek is not full of butterflies! In fact, we rarely see any butterflies there. I've been told that the creek used to look like a butterfly from a particular viewpoint but haven't been able to confirm that. But we do see all sorts of other plant and animal treasures.

Nature's Symmetry - a flower hunt

Spring and early summer is a time for flowering. Many herbs, vines, trees and other plants in the wild have been putting on a colourful show.  I always enjoy seeing the great variety of colour, shape and size, but a recent discovery in the forest set me thinking about symmetry. 

Although kiekie vines are often in abundance in our temperate rainforest I've rarely seen a flower. A friend found this one when we were hiking in the Tararua Forest Park. The flower is striking in its '3 part' symmetry. 

kiekie flower (about 30cm wide)

Symmetry is pleasing to the eye. We often look with pleasure on patterns that repeat in some way. So for children (and adults) seeking out symmetry in nature can be a fun and engaging nature activity.

Nature Journals - getting started

Creating a Nature Journal is a great way to deepen your nature connection. Whether you want to record what you see on a nature walk, celebrate nature's beauty, or keep track of what you've learned about nature - there's a nature journal format to suit your purpose. If you look on Pinterest at other people's Nature Journals you might think Nature Journals are just for artists, but your observations are unique and can be conveyed in words as well as pictures.

Some of my Nature Journals

A Nature Diary is a good way to get started writing a Nature Journal. That's how I began. I wrote down places I went walking or tramping, and listed things I saw that interested me. After awhile, I began adding in more details, names of plants I was learning from other people or facts I'd found in reference books.

Win a Copy of "Whose Home is This?" - new title out now

Nature Kids - Making Zines to Spread the Word

Crazy about kākāpō? Curious about kauri? Amazed by animal poo? Wild about weka? If you are a nature fan, you can make a zine to share your passion. 

Zine is short for 'fanzine' - these self-published creations started out as homemade books by fans about their favourite bands. But they can be on any topic that you are crazy about. I got inspired to try making zines when I met Murtle Chickpea and her Zine Museum at the Wairarapa Book Bash. Here is one of the zines...

Experiencing Nature with Kids - their way

It was all about being hands-on at the Koraunui Bioblitz this week. Schools in Stokes Valley took part in an amazing day of exploration on organised by Dianne Christenson of Koraunui School and supported by scientists and experts. Did I have some pre-conceived notions of a Bioblitz? Maybe, but I agreed with a fellow expert that this one should be led by the children's interests and observations.

My first eager group had bounce in their step as we headed along a small path among some new plantings at Horoeka Scenic Reserve.

Up the River - learning about our freshwater in New Zealand

Up the River: explore and discover New Zealand's rivers, lakes and wetlands is the latest addition  to the 'explore and discover' books, following on from books about the seashore, ocean, garden, and forest habitats.

Up the River is the sixth book in the series

Six years ago I would have wondered how many people might be interested enough in our freshwater habitats to buy a book about them for their children or grandchildren, but now as we release this book, there is broad public interest. There's been much publicity about whether our rivers are swimmable, about polluted drinking water and about the loss of rivers to irrigation schemes.

As a nation we've woken up to the facts - that clean freshwater matters and that our freshwater is not as clean as we would like it to be. 

All of these events and debates were going on while I was researching and writing Up the River. The more I researched, the more I realised that the state of our freshwater was worse than I had imagined. I had to work hard to resist the temptation to make the dire findings and debates centre stage in the book. Why?

Percy Scenic Reserve - Explore nature in the city

Explore nature in Hutt city, suitable for everyone from kids to botanists. Pathways take visitors through (mostly) native plantings up to a waterfall and beyond, along the way are many diversions to help keep kids interested in their outdoor adventure.

Percy Reserve Waterfall

Here are some tips for your visit.

Matching Birds to their Beaks - activity for children

I've been reading 'Whose Beak is This?' and 'Whose Feet are These?' to audiences in schools and libraries. It's interesting to see which birds children already know well enough to guess it from its beak, or which animals are easy to guess from their feet. This has to be the easiest!


Beaks are amazing adaptations to the environment and the food birds eat. There are beaks for nectar sipping, beaks for shellfish digging, beaks for fishing and so on. If you pay close attention to the ones in the book, you could then guess what food is eaten by a bird with a similar shape beak. For example, bellbirds (korimako) have a similar curved beak to a tui and they are also nectar eaters.

Beak Matching Activity

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.