Buckleberry Community Club is continually active all year round. They like to arrange activities for the local people to come together to enjoy and to get to know one another. They have their own blog online where they advertise the upcoming activities, valuable information and post about events that have taken place. Everyone is encouraged to read the blog at the end of the week so that they can keep up with all the news. As the cooler weather sets in, the BCC is keen to encourage people to spend time outdoors so they can enjoy nature. Just recently they arranged a nature scavenger hunt for the whole village to participate in. Mummy and Daddy had read about previous nature hunts and decided it was a clever idea to join the community.

On Saturday, we got up early and had a cooked breakfast. Daddy thought it was good to eat scrambled eggs on toast as this would keep us warm when we went out. The chatter at the table was one of excitement as we had never been on a nature scavenger hunt before. Daddy was looking forward to being able to explore the nearby moors. He was not too sure about the weather and suggested that we prepare for rain and cold breezes. Mummy agreed and then organized warm clothing for us to wear. She made sure our wellington boots were by the front door. Within no time we had eaten breakfast, put on our warm clothes and we were in the car driving to our destination.

When we arrived at the checkpoint, there was a large tent with BCC members standing behind a large table. In another tent, there was a tea and coffee machine along with platters of croissants and Danish pastries. People had arrived early, so they were already drinking and eating. The rest of the people stood patiently at the registration tent and waited to get the important booklet. Daddy and Mummy spoke to the locals. Farmer Ted had brought his dog along. He thought the dog would help him find things on the checklist. Just Joan had come along for the coffee and croissants. Babysitter Mary had brought along her younger brothers and sisters. Postman Percy, Policeman Mike, and Mr Shorthorn were present too. Tall Tony had arranged music for everyone to listen to before we all set off on the hunt.

Buckleberry Mayor called everyone together. He explained that in the booklet was a list of items that we all needed to spot and check off. Mayor George thought it would take time to find everything. He was not sure if we could get everything on the list but encouraged us all to do our best. Policeman Mike told everyone where the fence lines were and that not to go over any fences. He wanted everyone to be safe and have fun. Mayor George asked that everyone look after one another and that a horn would be blown telling people when to come back to the tent. Everyone became extremely excited and waited anxiously to start the hunt.

Mummy and Daddy had already looked at the checklist and told Verity and I the things we needed to look out for. There was a page dedicated to leaves. That was the easiest page to do first. We had to look for green, brown, red, yellow, and orange leaves. Leaves that rustled, leaves on the ground and leaves in the trees. We managed to tick all the leaves off quite quickly. Verity and I were surprised at how many different leaves we could see. The leaves not only varied in colour but were large and were small and all had different shapes. Mummy suggested that we collect a few of the leaves so we could take them home to do nature art later.

The next page was all about creatures. We needed to find lady birds, birds, beetles, butterflies, caterpillars, snails, worms, ants, hedgehogs, and squirrels. We managed to find most of the animals apart from the hedgehogs and squirrels. Hedgehogs have become rare in the area and so we did not think it was possible to spot one. We were hopeful that someone in the group would find one. Daddy thought we needed to find acorns to see squirrels and so we kept that in mind. We continued to walk through fields and came to a grove of trees.

We continued to move through the forest and came to a stream. We could see stones and pebbles, long reeds, muddy patches, and the sound of water running. When we peered into the shallow part of the stream we could see tadpoles. Mummy spotted the fence on the opposite side of the stream and suggested we had reached the boundary. Another group of people joined us and agreed that we would turn around and go back through the forest. Everyone was comparing what they had and had not been able to find.

As we moved through the forest, everyone heard a yell. “Over here!” the voice shouted. Everyone moved quickly towards the voice. Before our eyes, we could see a family of hedgehogs. We all said, “Ahhhhhh!.” We all stood still like statues as we did not want to frighten them. People took out their phones and took photos. They said they would upload them to the Buckleberry Blog. Everyone felt satisfied that hedgehogs could be checked off the list, but more importantly that we had found a family and they were surviving in the forest. We all then heard a horn and knew that was the time to return to the starting point.

As people gathered around, they enjoyed coffee, tea, and Danish pastries. Everyone handed in their checklist and Mayor George said that a winner would be on the Buckleberry Blog. Daddy said that we would not win this time and that it did not matter. Even though we did not get everything on the checklist, we had enjoyed being outside and looking at nature. Everyone agreed that it had been a wonderful day and were keen to find out what the next BCC activity would be.

Postman Percy spoke about the hedgehog family. Those who did not see the hedgehogs were keen to hear more. People with photos on their phones, passed their phones for others to view the hedgehogs. Concerned about the dwindling numbers and the status of being “vulnerable,” Postman Percy suggested that we all make a conscious effort to try to protect them. Just Joan surprised everyone by suggesting that we build hedgehog homes in our back gardens. She talked about cutting holes in our fences to make a hedgehog highway. The hedgehogs would find the holes and move from one garden to the next.