What to look out for

Each site will be different, and the time of year and the weather will also influence what you might be able to spot.

Butterflies

The Green Space Volunteers record almost 30 different species of butterflies each summer, including the Meadow Brown, Marbled White and Common Blue. How many species can you spot?

Visit the Butterfly Conservation website to see the different types of butterflies that you might see.

Bees

Residents have reported seeing more bees and other pollinating insects as the areas of our meadow grasslands have increased.

Friends of the Earth have a bee identification guide with further information about each type of bee.

Crickets and Grasshoppers

Crickets and grasshoppers can usually been heard more easily than seen. Listen out for them on warm summer days.

Shackledell Grassland is perhaps the most important wildlife site in Stevenage. It provides habitat for 6 of the 8 county species of cricket and grasshopper and is the only known site in Hertfordshire where you can find the Great Green Bush Cricket – the UKs largest insect.

The British Naturalists' Association has a guide to Grasshoppers and Crickets found in the UK.

Flowers

Not all of our grasslands have lots of obvious flowers, but look amongst the grass and you can often spot clover and birds foot trefoil.

The Plantlife website has wildflower walks and activities for families which you can download for free.

On the ground

If you look carefully you might be able to see the ‘tunnels’ that voles create as they move through the meadow grass.

If you are out and about after dusk, you might be lucky to see an owl on the look-out for a vole.