Second Year Ecological Research in Old Park Woods

Last week Second Year pupils descended into our woodland to search for arthropods as part of the Second Year science ecology module. Armed with pooters, petri dishes and magnifying glasses, they hunted for spiders, millipedes, wood lice and other arthropods (invertebrates with segmented bodies, exoskeletons and jointed legs), then identified them using dichotomous keys and drew scientific diagrams. They were also hunting for the elusive “pyramidal orchid” – a protected flower we are lucky enough to have on our school grounds.