The Bumper Book of Nature: A User’s Guide to the Outdoors

For David and Martine Osario,
for allowing us to be free-range children
instead of cotton-wool kids

A note to parents

(and grandparents, godparents, aunts and uncles, big brothers and sisters, friends of the family, teachers, and anyone else who wants to get our children back in touch with nature …)

When you think back to your own childhood, what do you remember? Did you climb trees, build dens, and go for hikes in the woods? Of course you did—that’s how we entertained ourselves in the days before computer games, cell phones, and a TV in every child’s bedroom.

We didn’t have the gadgets, the opportunities, or the sheer variety of ways that today’s children have to spend their spare time. So to stave off boredom, we begged our parents to let us go and play outside. Ball games in the street were just the start. Soon we were scrambling over the fence and into the woods, exploring nature for ourselves. Later on, during summer vacation, we were sent out with Mom’s words ringing in our ears : “Take care—and be back home for supper!”

OK, so I’m making our childhoods sound like something out of Hiawatha or Anne of Green Gables. It wasn’t always like that, of course. Sometimes we hurt ourselves—falling out of trees or grazing our knees. Sometimes we came home soaked through after being caught in the rain, and got a good telling off from Mom and Dad.

But all this time we were learning about nature: seeing tadpoles turn into frogs, picking flowers, or simply watching the birds we came across in our wanderings. And by climbing trees and building dens we also learned about taking risks, about working together as a team, and ultimately about our own limits.

So tell me, honestly: are today’s children happier and more fulfilled than we were? Of course they aren’t. In the past couple of decades, we have raised generations of children who are scared to walk in the park on their own, who scream when they encounter a spider or a moth, and who know more about the characters in TV shows than they do about our native animals and plants.

The consequences of this—what Californian writer Richard Louv has called Nature Deficit Disorder—are very worrying. If we’re not careful, when these children grow up, they will have no interest in, or passion for, the natural world—and if you don’t care about something, what incentive is there to protect it?

So what can we do to get our children back in touch with nature? Well, for a start I hope you, and any children you know, will use this book to get out and experience the wonders of the natural world for yourself. This isn’t hard—there are many things you can do in any backyard, or even in a town or city park. There are things you can do as a family, or that your children can do on their own or with their friends. And there are organized activities, too, which are best enjoyed in the company of a knowledgeable expert.

I’ve arranged the activities into seasons, along with a substantial section of things you can do all year round. I’ve tried to be as specific as possible. If you already know how to climb a tree, then you can skip the directions, but if it’s the first time your children are attempting it, there are step-by-step instructions on the best way to do so.

To help you identify the animals and plants you see, I’ve included identification guides to common species, beautifully illustrated by some of our finest wildlife artists. And there are poems, fascinating facts, and snippets of folklore to keep you and your children entertained.

At the end of the book there are contact details of organizations, website addresses, and a selection of books to help you extend your and your children’s knowledge of America’s wonderful natural heritage.

So please don’t put The Bumper Book of Nature away on a bookshelf and let it gather dust. This is a book to be used. Take it outdoors and get muddy fingerprints on its pages. It is, I hope, a book for life—something you can enjoy with your children as they grow up, and which they may perhaps even use one day to introduce their own children to wildlife.

I am a very lucky man. When I was a child, I learned to explore the world around my home. I walked under blue suburban skies, built dens in the scrubby woods behind our house, played around the local gravel pits—and because of all this I developed a love of nature. In later life, I became one of those very fortunate people whose lifetime’s passion is also their job, as the producer of television nature programs. I owe all this to one simple thing: when I was growing up I was given the freedom that so many parents now deny their own children.

So now I want you to close your eyes and imagine a world where sending your child out into the natural world is a matter of course rather than a special event. And instead of preprogramming their every move and organizing their every moment, you give them one simple instruction: “Just enjoy yourself!”

A note to children

If someone has given you this book, they must know that you are interested in nature—in birds and bees, foxes and frogs, and many other wonderful wild creatures.

But when was the last time you went outside and discovered nature for yourself—on your own or with your friends? Never? Maybe your parents are worried that you’ll hurt yourself, or get dirty. Maybe you don’t know where to go, or what to do, or how to tell what bird or flower you are looking at.

That’s where The Bumper Book of Nature comes in. This book is packed full of exciting things to do—on your own, with friends, or with grown-ups. You can build a den, catch tadpoles, or pick blackberries. You can do something simple, like lie down in the long grass and look up at the sky, or a bit trickier, like keeping caterpillars and watching them turn into butterflies. You can do these things in your backyard, down at the local park, on a hike in the woods, or by the seaside, and in spring, summer, fall, and winter. Whatever the time of year, and whatever the weather, there’s always something to see and do in the wild world!

To help you know what you are looking at, there are pictures of common animals and birds, plants and insects—so if you find a strange butterfly in your backyard, or see an unusual bird on the park pond, you can find out what it’s called. And at the end of the book there’s loads of useful information—websites, books, and organizations you can join to help you make the most of your interest in nature.

So I hope you won’t just put this book away on your bedroom shelf and forget about it. This is a book you need to use, to take outdoors—even to get dirty! Make sure you ask a grown-up before you do any of the activities here; and if they want to come with you, that’s fine. But as you get older and more confident, ask them if you can go out with your friends and enjoy the natural world on your own.

And if, like me, you fall in love with nature, I can promise you that you’ll never be bored again—because there’s always something to see, to do, and to enjoy.

All Year Round

The great thing about the natural world is that it never stops. Whatever the time of year, something interesting is going on; you just need to go out and discover it.

This book is arranged season by season, since there are many things that you can do only at a particular time of year, like listening to birdsong at dawn, watching butterflies, roasting chestnuts, or building a snowman.

But there are also quite a few things that you can do more or less any time of year, such as building a den, making a nature table, and climbing a tree. You can play hide-and-seek or go for a walk in the woods; skim stones across a lake or feed your backyard birds; look for mammal tracks or start keeping a nature diary—or all of these things.

So there’s no excuse, because whatever the time of year, the natural world is out there just waiting for you to explore it!

Build a den

When I was growing up, one of my favorite pastimes was making a den in the woods at the back of our house. I say woods, but this was really just a narrow strip of trees and scrub between the bottom of our garden and the back road. But to us it was “the forest,” and we spent many a happy hour creating cozy hideaways out of bits of wood and old rugs we found in the garage. A few years later, the trees were all chopped down, and our adventure playground vanished forever.

Do you remember, when you were very young, pulling all the cushions off the chairs and divans and piling them up to make yourself a little hideaway, where no one could find you?

To make a secret place all your own it’s even better if you can build a den outdoors—using fallen branches, bits of wood, and old bits of carpet instead of your mom’s furniture.

Making a good den that will withstand gales and storms involves planning, construction, and teamwork. So join forces with your friends or brothers and sisters and make it a project that you can all enjoy—a much better way to spend a weekend or holidays than sitting in front of a TV or computer! It’s also great fun.

Here are some tips on how to make a really good den

You can make a den out of almost anything—natural or man-made—just as long as you can make walls and a roof, creating an enclosed space where you can hide away from the outside world.

Keep it simple: larger bits of wood—either planks or fallen branches—will help you build a structure that you can cover with a quilt or rug to create a roof.

Think about what you are trying to do: maybe draw a quick sketch on a bit of paper to show your friends.

Once you’ve got everything you need to build your den, start making the walls from the bottom up.

When you’ve got the basic structure, cover it with a piece of material, such as an old sheet, blanket, rug, or remnant of carpet—and not your mom’s best quilt! If the material you use is waterproof, a plastic painter’s tarp, for example, so much the better—it will help keep the inside snug and dry.

Then cover your den with smaller and lighter leafy branches to create a camouflage canopy—but don’t forget to leave a gap large enough for a door!

Bring another piece of material, or old blanket, to lay on the floor of the den to make it really comfortable.

Once it’s complete, stand back and admire your creation—your den is ready to be occupied.

And once you’ve built your den, sit quietly inside and see what’s going on outside—a den can make an excellent hideout for nature watching. …

And a few more tips

A really quick-and-easy way to make a den is to hang a length of clothesline between two tree trunks or branches, tied fast at either end, and then just drape an old sheet or quilt over the top. Secure the edges with heavy stones or bits of wood, and hey, presto! An instant den.

For very young children, simply hang a quilt or rug over the backs of chairs and put a rug inside for them to sit on.

Make a nature table

Back in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, many elementary schools had a nature table, where children could bring in items they had found on the weekends, or discovered on nature walks with their classmates.

Nature tables are the ideal way to mark the passing of the seasons and to get to know about the incredible variety of natural objects you can collect.

Misguided fears about children coming to harm have more or less brought an end to this wonderful way of learning about the natural world. But there’s no law against nature tables, and with a bit of common sense any potential hazards can be identified and removed. So why not start one yourself—at home or at school?

Things you can collect for your nature table

Anything that falls off a tree: pinecones, dried leaves, acorns, nuts and seeds, berries, fruit, whole twigs, or small branches that have blown off in the wind.

Flowers, which you can either keep in a jam jar full of water or press to dry and preserve them. (See Things to do with wildflowers.)

Inanimate objects: stones, pebbles, and rocks—look out for unusual shapes or colors.

Birds’ feathers—from pigeons, gulls, crows, hawks, and smaller birds. Look out for real gems, like the gorgeous blue feathers of a blue jay, or the red feathers of a cardinal.

Shells: either from the beach, or if you don’t get to visit the seaside, from the snails and other creatures in your garden.

Dead stuff—such as beetles (whose hard exoskeleton means they last a long time), spiders, or delicate skulls of birds.

Mushrooms and toadstools—just as long as you use rubber gloves and wash your hands carefully after you handle them.

You can also put field guides on display to help you identify what you find. (See Further Reading for details.)

Tip

To make your nature table even more exciting, add a glass tank where you can keep creatures you’ve collected, such as frogs’ eggs (which will turn into tadpoles, then into frogs), or caterpillars (which will turn into pupae, then into butterflies), as well as minibeasts, such as spiders, ants, and snails.

How to identify … trees

Our grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ generations could put a name to most of the trees they would see on hikes out of town; but in the past few decades we seem to have lost this rich store of knowledge. Many people today on a walk through a forest are unable to tell which trees they are passing; this is a great pity, because once you can put a name to a tree you can also learn a lot more about it and the wild creatures that depend on it.

Trees are a wonderful aspect of the wild world. North America is home to the world’s biggest, tallest, and oldest trees—750 species in all—and these mighty giants are as much a part of our natural heritage as bald eagles and grizzly bears. Indeed, given how many creatures depend on trees for their own survival, trees may be the most important living things on the continent.

To identify which tree you are looking at, it’s best to use a range of different features. For some, like the oak and sycamore, the leaves are really distinctive; while for others, like the beech and elm, the overall shape of the tree also helps you. Buds, flowers, seeds and fruits, and the bark are also good ways of telling one tree from another.

One of the most familiar of our sixty different kinds of oak, though mainly found from the eastern United States to the Midwest, the white oak is a common tree of woods, hillsides, and riverbanks. Its distinctive seeds are acorns. Produced in fall, they are a favorite food of many animals, including squirrels.

The classic “maple syrup” plant (see Make maple syrup candy for a recipe). Like other maples, the sugar maple’s leaves are not alternate but paired opposite along the twig. Mainly grows on well-drained soils in the northeastern United States.

This member of the poplar family is found from the Rocky Mountains to the eastern United States, where it grows in low-lying areas near water known as bottomlands. Triangular leaves with coarse teeth, sticky buds, and, later in the summer, green pods produce fluffy, cottonlike seeds.

The most widely distributed tree in North America, found in dry woods across much of the United States, this member of the poplar family is a medium-size, fast-growing tree with small, heart-shaped leaves and pale, gray-green bark crossed with dark marks. Seeds and buds provide food for a wide range of creatures.

Widespread across the eastern and midwestern United States and south to Florida, this tall tree has very distinctive, broad leaves, round fruits, and a mottled bark, which often peels off in large flakes.

Also known as the coast redwood, this magnificent tree—the tallest, and one of the oldest, living things in the world—can be found along a narrow strip along the Pacific Coast, where it thrives in moist, damp soil.

Named after a nineteenth-century Scottish botanist and explorer, this huge and impressive conifer grows up the Pacific Coast and along the slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Has flat, yellowish green needles and hanging cones.

The two species of white pine, eastern and western, can be found in the cooler regions of North America, growing on sandy soils and in boggy areas. Needles come in groups of five.

Also known as the white elm, this tree grows to sixty feet tall, with a broad, spreading crown giving it a distinctive shape. Leaves are oval and pointed, with serrated edges; twigs are gray with chestnut-colored buds. Found mainly in the eastern United States to the Midwest. Sadly, this species is very susceptible to Dutch elm disease.

A member of the same family as junipers, this medium-size tree provides juicy, purple fruits that are a vital food for many different birds and mammals—and as a result it benefits by having its seeds spread.

One of the iconic trees of the eastern forests, whose pale gray bark and paperlike leaves make it unmistakable. In fall it produces pods containing two or three triangular brown nuts, which are a much-needed winter food for many creatures.

Climb a tree

When was the last time you climbed a really good tree? Maybe you’ve been told not to climb trees because you might fall and hurt yourself. But what sort of a life is it if you never learn to take risks?

Actually, I’m a bit wary of climbing trees myself—but when I do so, I’m really glad I did. That’s because tree climbing is a great way to learn the limits of your sense of adventure. It doesn’t matter if you don’t get all the way to the top—what’s important is that you try your best and perhaps get a little bit farther each time.

Late fall is the best time for climbing: once the leaves have fallen off it’s easier to see what you’re doing. But you can climb trees at any time of the year.

Old jeans and a long-sleeved top are better than shorts and T-shirts, to prevent you from grazing your knees and elbows. Wear sneakers with a really strong grip, rather than sandals or boots.

Choose the right sort of tree: large, old trees are best, since they have stronger branches and fewer twigs to get in the way.

Dead trees are tempting to climb, but remember that their branches are more likely to snap.

Take a few minutes to work out your route before you start climbing. Make sure your feet support the weight of your body, and that you always have at least one hand firmly gripping a branch.

If you’re not sure a branch is thick enough to support your weight, test it first by pulling hard with your free hand. And don’t rush—that’s the sure way to fall.

Once you find a comfortable spot halfway up a tree, sit down on a branch and have a good look around. You’re seeing the world in a different way from usual—from above. Spend a few minutes quietly looking and listening, and you’ll be amazed at what you discover.

Climbing down is actually more risky than going up: so once again, take your time, and make sure your feet and hands are in the right place each time you move, and that you have firm footing as you descend.

Hang upside down from the branch of a tree

Next time you’re walking through the woods or a park, find a large, mature tree with a thick, horizontal branch sticking out from the trunk (beech trees are particularly good for climbing), a couple of yards above the ground. Climb up to the branch; then carefully hook your legs over the branch and hang upside down from it. It’s a whole new way of seeing a familiar world.

Make a rope swing from a tree

One of the most enjoyable things to do in your backyard or a local park is to make a rope swing. Because it can move in any direction, instead of just backward and forward like swings in a playground, a rope swing is much more fun!

You will need

A length of high-quality rope about one to one and a half inches thick and long enough to reach from your chosen branch to the ground, plus another yard or so to be safe.

A round disc of wood—perhaps an old chopping board, or a cross section through a tree trunk, large enough to sit on and thick enough to support your weight (at least one and a half inches, preferably thicker).

Find your tree

Choose a big, solid tree with a strong branch from which to hang your swing. Look for a mature, healthy specimen, such as an oak, with thick, horizontal branches at least a foot across. Select a branch growing between three and five yards above the ground. Check beneath where you plan to hang your swing to make sure the ground is reasonably level, and that there aren’t any sharp objects such as tree stumps or big rocks that might hurt you if you fall off.

Now, make your swing

Ask an adult to use the power drill, with a spade-style wood bit, to make a hole in the center of the piece of wood wide enough to thread your rope through it.

Place the ladder securely against the branch, and make sure someone is holding it securely at the bottom. Then tie one end of the rope around the branch—ideally using a bowline knot, which will hold it secure. The bowline is one of the easiest and most effective of knots.

Getting someone else to hold the seat in position, thread the rope through the hole in the center and tie a thick knot beneath the seat to hold the rope in place—you should tie at least three knots here.

Tell the age of a tree

It’s quite hard to tell the exact age of most living creatures. Once a baby bird has fledged and molted into its adult plumage it will look the same whether it’s two or twenty years old. The same goes for other animals.

But one group of living things has made it a lot easier for us, at least once they’ve died. If you look at the cross section of a tree trunk, you can see a series of rings, each inside another, from the center to the edge. Each ring represents one year of that tree’s life, so by counting them, you can work out how old that particular tree is.

But there’s much more to tree rings than simply using them to work out the age of a tree. Scientists can measure the distance between each ring to work out whether or not a particular year was a good or bad one—a hot, dry summer, for example, will limit growth that year, producing a narrow gap between rings; while a warm, wet summer will allow the tree to grow faster, producing a wide one. This is known as dendrochronology and is used by scientists to measure climate change.

To count tree rings for yourself, you first need to find a dead tree, preferably one that has been felled so that either the trunk or its stump remains. Rings are counted from the center outward; the ones nearest the center are the oldest, and those closest to the bark are the most recent.

Most large felled trees will be between fifty and a hundred years old, but some large ones may be several hundred years of age.

Yes, you can. Not quite as accurately as with a dead tree, but still close enough.

Using a tape measure, measure the girth (the distance around the tree) about one and a half to two yards above the ground. Then apply one of the following rules:

If the tree is surrounded by lots of other trees (such that it has to compete with them for the sunlight needed to grow), every half an inch of girth equals a year’s growth.

If the tree is standing on its own, with plenty of access to sunlight, then every inch of girth equals a year’s growth.

So a tree in a forest measuring about two yards around is over one hundred and fifty years old; while the same-size tree standing alone is only about eighty years old. A word of warning, though: some species grow more quickly than others; for instance, a pine tree or sycamore will usually be older than an oak of similar girth.

One of Earth’s oldest trees is the bristlecone pine in the White Mountains of California, nicknamed “Methuselah,” after the oldest man in the Bible. Methuselah—which, incidentally, is also Earth’s oldest living thing—is more than 4,700 years old. That means it began growing almost 3,000 years before the birth of Christ, and at least a century before the building of the Great Pyramid at Giza in Egypt.

Make a bark rubbing

This is a good way to appreciate the patterns made by the bark of a tree, and it can also be used to identify different kinds of trees—though it’s often easier to look at leaves and the general shape of a tree to tell what it is.

What to do

Using a pencil or crayon, rub firmly and evenly across the surface of the paper so that the pattern of the bark is revealed.

Once you’ve made several different bark rubbings, lay them side by side so you can compare the different patterns made from different kinds of trees.

Tip

By using a large roll of plain white lining paper (which you can get from your local hardware or crafts store), you can use different colored crayons to make a continuous bark rubbing, which you can then use to wrap birthday and holiday gifts.

Listen to the heartbeat of a tree

Believe it or not, you can actually listen to a tree—an experience that really does give you a new way of understanding the living world.

All you need is a recording-and-listening device known as a contact microphone—the kind that musicians use to record the sound of individual instruments, such as a guitar or piano. They are not very expensive (between $15 and $75) and can be bought from most electronics or music stores. You may also want a pair of headphones to make it easier to listen.

You can either connect the microphone to an amplifier and speaker so you can listen to what is being picked up at the time, or plug it into any recording device such as a minidisc or even a video camcorder, and record the sound to listen to it later.

To listen to a tree, carefully place your contact microphone inside a hollow trunk, against its surface; plug it in, and wait. You should hear all sorts of strange sounds—most of which are made by tiny grubs nibbling away at the wood. Remember that you need to make sure the microphone is in direct contact with the tree or it won’t work.

Tip

You can also use your contact microphone to listen to and record other natural sounds, such as those inside an ants’ nest or even the inside of a compost heap. Again, make sure it is pressed up against the surface of whatever you are listening to.

How to identify …
common birds

Feeding our backyard birds has truly become a national pastime in recent years, with millions of dollars spent annually on equipment and food designed to provide a five-star service for the birds. But we benefit, too: feeding birds in our backyards gives us the opportunity to get great close-up views, and often leads to a wider interest in the birds of our neighborhood and even farther afield.

You probably already know more birds than you think—most people can identify a robin and a cardinal, a dove and a chickadee. The next step is to put a name to the species you are looking at, and then start to learn more about their behavior and habits. Soon you’ll have turned into a full-fledged birder!

This is just a starter’s guide to some of our common birds—there are plenty more, so make sure you get hold of a field guide to the birds of your area.

Small, neat, and cheeky, found in woods and backyards across much of North America, though not in the South. Black cap and throat contrast with white cheeks and pale brown flanks.

A slender, elegant dove with a pale pinkish brown plumage, a long pointed tail edged with black and white, and black spots on the wings. Found throughout the United States, its hooting song is often mistaken for the call of an owl.

Surely our most familiar bird, and one of the best-loved birds of North America. Found throughout the continent, this large and sturdy thrush is often seen on grassy lawns. Combination of dark head, gray back, and reddish underparts make it unmistakable.

Contents

A note to parents

A note to children

All Year Round

Build a den

Here are some tips on how to make a really good den

And a few more tips

Make a nature table

Things you can collect for your nature table

Tip

How to identify … trees

Climb a tree

Hang upside down from the branch of a tree

Make a rope swing from a tree

You will need

Find your tree

Now, make your swing

Tell the age of a tree

Make a bark rubbing

What to do

Tip

Listen to the heartbeat of a tree

Tip

How to identify …
common birds

Contents

A note to parents

A note to children

All Year Round

Build a den

Here are some tips on how to make a really good den

And a few more tips

Make a nature table

Things you can collect for your nature table

Tip

How to identify … trees

Climb a tree

Hang upside down from the branch of a tree

Make a rope swing from a tree

You will need

Find your tree

Now, make your swing

Tell the age of a tree

Make a bark rubbing

What to do

Tip

Listen to the heartbeat of a tree

Tip

How to identify …common birds

How to identify …
common birds