A poem inspired by the Hidden Nature Challenge

Nature that’s hidden

What can be found? What can be seen? What have we missed before?
The nooks and crannies, mainly undisturbed, safe-haven they afford.
This familiar place, we call our school, our outdoor space to play.
To bugs and grubs and creepy crawlies a place to hide away.

Our fences that surround our grounds, of wood or mesh or metal
Look bare and stark, bereft of life, not a place for bugs to settle.
A closer look and you will find, spiders webs and flies galore
And moths, and bees and gnats and midge being eaten in full gore.

Holes in trees, in walls and floor are always worth a peep.
The multitude of life they hold to shelter and to keep.
Here live multilegged bugs that scuttle, scamper, crawl.
Woodlouse, centipede, millipede, grasshoppers, crickets all.

In the sheltered, sunlit places where flowering plants abound
Is where we’ll find the butterflies, wings flapping without sound.
Their colours; white and orange, withs reds and purples and browns.
So delicate and vulnerable yet seen in gardens and towns.

A closer look is all we ask and show us what you find
Keep quiet, and take notice, be careful, and be kind.
The natural world will reveal itself and will become the norm.
Fill in our hidden nature challenge in paper or online form.

Feeling inspired? 

Try our write a poem activity to create a vision for your Nature Park through writing a poem, and imagine the impact of changes on people and nature in the future.