Easter weather turned our rather nicer than expected, at least here in Somerset, so we decided to make the most of the sunshine to enjoy some of the activities from the book. Five year old Charlie and his twin siblings George and Daisy, aged four, decided that the first thing on the list would be to climb the highest hill near where you live (page 43). So we did.

Brent Knoll may only reach a height of 130 metres or so, but it is still quite a strenuous walk for such young legs. But once we got to the top all that effort was worth it – we could see Wales (the country, not the animal), Bridgwater Bay, the Mendips, and best of all our very own house, nestling in the heat-haze on the Somerset Levels below. We also watched a kestrel hovering in the blue sky above, heard a green woodpecker laughing at us, and saw a lemon-yellow brimstone butterfly.

Next day was sunny too, so we pottered around the garden with the butterfly net (page 123). This time, though, the few butterflies that had ventured out into the spring sunshine were far too quick for us – though later on a visiting friend, four-year-old Edward, did manage to catch a peacock (or at least his dad did!)

By the way, catching butterflies doesn’t hurt them, so long as you are careful when you remove them from the net. The same goes for moth-trapping (page 129). I set up the trap the night before, and at seven the next morning Charlie and I donned our coats and popped outside to check it. Unfortunately the night had been rather cold, and though we found about a dozen moths (and one beetle) inside, I’m sure we’ll do better in a month or so.

Finally, on Bank Holiday Monday, we held our traditional Easter Egg Hunt in the garden (page 100). I dressed up as the Easter bunny (yes, really!) while the children ran around searching for hidden chocolate. Well, at least it got them outdoors!

In the meantime the spring migrants have arrived back in force from Africa: willow warblers and blackcaps singing in the orchard and garden, and swallows in the barn next door. Simply wonderful!

TOP TIP
Look for butterflies from mid-morning onwards on sunny days, just as the sun starts to warm the ground.

FUN FACT
There are only about 60 different kinds of butterfly in Britain – and over 2000 different moths!

Welcome to the Bumper Blog of Nature – my weekly round-up of things you can do as a family or with any children you know. I’ll be updating the blog every week, so that you have plenty of different opportunities to keep children entertained and in touch with nature during the Easter holidays – and beyond!

Now that spring is officially here, the first week of April is a great time to get outdoors and look for signs of the new season. One of my favourite pastimes at this time of year is to take a walk through my local wood and look for spring flowers.

Of course some early flowers like the snowdrop and crocus have already come and gone. But there should be plenty to find: from pinkish-white wood anemones to wild daffodils, glowing yellow in the sunshine. One of my favourites is ramsons – otherwise known as wild garlic – which not only looks good, and smells incredible, but can also be used in salads, or even to make wild garlic bread!

I love the way that even before most of the migrant birds are back from Africa, many of the woodland flowers are at their very best. They bloom so early because by the end of this month the leaves in the tree canopy will begin to close, shutting off much of the sunlight to the forest floor. By getting blooming sooner rather than later these spring flowers make the most of the opportunity to trap the sun’s light as energy.

And don’t be afraid to pick a small bunch of flowers to take home to remind you of your walk in the woods – but never dig up a plant by its roots or pick too many flowers.

TOP TIP
Remember that spring comes at different times to different parts of the country, gradually moving north and eastwards, so depending where you live the flowers may bloom at different times.

FUN FACT
The name of one of the earliest spring flowers to appear, Primrose, derives from the Latin ‘prima rosa’ – meaning first rose or first flower.