Bugs on bushes
Need to identify minibeasts lurking among the stems and leaves of plants? The FSC Bugs on bushes fold-out guide has been used by generations of visitors to FSC Field Centres.
The simple flow chart on this guide shows representatives of the main groups found around plants. These include animals with no legs, such as snails, slugs, earthworms, roundworms, insect and larvae. Plus the animals with jointed legs, such as crustaceans, insects, spiders and mites.
As well as making a simple list of minibeasts, Bugs on bushes supports many investigations into food chains and food webs. Identify the animals that you find, and use this information to count the number of producers and consumers. There are project ideas based on tree-beating, sweep-netting and using pooters. Can you build pyramids of number?