Bushland Classroom
The Tasmanian Midlands Bushland Classroom
The Midlands Bushland Classroom project directly links schools to the Tasmanian Midlands Restoration program and University of Tasmania researchers. Students from three Tasmanian schools are supporting our large scale restoration work by planting and caging trees and monitoring survival rates with GPS.
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Our previous projects: Lenah Valley Primary School
Students from Lenah Valley Primary School in Hobart have adopted their local bushland as another place to learn…
Birds we have seen:
- Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
- Black Currawong
- Forest Raven
- Golden Whistler
- Yellow-throated Honeyeater
And we heard many more. Learning to identify birds is a new skill – and one where you have to be quick!
Insect groups we have seen:
- A pregnant spider
- Jack Jumpers
- Mosquitoes
- Beatles
- Grasshoppers
- Files
- Moths
- Bees
- Bull Ants
- Spiders
- Water Bugs
- Dragonflies and Damselflies
Did you know unlike Dragonflies, resting Damselflies keep their wings closely folded above their thin bodies?
Mammals we have seen:
- Tasmanian Pademelon
- Common Brushtail Possum
- Bats
Most mammals are nocturnal, meaning they only come out a night. We have done a couple of night walks in the bush with our parents and teachers. Mostly we’re in the bushland during the day.
We’re learning about the trees and plants, as well as the variety of habitats where different animals live. For example, when we search for bugs we look under rocks, leaves and bark.
Did you know that entomologists (scientists who study insects) say there are around 900 thousand different kinds of living insects on the plant?
Insects also probably have the largest biomass of the terrestrial animals. At any time, it is estimated that there are some 10 quintillion (10,000,000,000,000,000,000) individual insects alive!
Try this:
Can you find a Dragonfly and a Damselfly – and do you know the difference?
