Bug Sighting at Botanic Gardens

Truth be told, we have been to Botanic Gardens tons of time. But never have we been there to actually bug-spot. Just at a stretch of path, this was some of the many insects we spotted. Believe it or not, the toddlers managed to observe for nearly an hour. It was pretty fun to spot bugs other than those flying into our view.

What we did was to look though each leaf. As the kids were tiny, they managed to spot bugs that were hiding under the leaves. A lot of people might think it is dangerous, as long as you stay away from the bees, you are probably fine. Being such city dwellers, the initial keen eye was the helper but we soon caught up. 

We were supposed to continue our bug spotting journey at Jacob Ballas Children's Garden, but the water playground got in the way. The kids ended up having a great, wet time there. Although there are changing areas near, the bathing area was at the entrance. A bit silly, oh well. It is complimentary and a very simple water playground. But kids don't really need sophistication to have a lot of fun. 

After the picnic, we did our all-time favourite - picnic - with food prepped from Bee's Knees. This time we picked the area closer to the "lake which was supposed to have swans". No swans, but I love this area too because it was more natural. And the chickens, monitor lizards would wander around to visit which thrilled and freaked the kids a little. 

Honestly, I didn't expect ourselves to enjoy insect spotting that much. It really does make you appreciate nature a little more and also great for bonding, especially when you tell each other about insects you sighted. To make things more fun, you can make it a competition. 

If you would like to identify the species of the insects, you can always upload your findings on inaturalist. Even after the day out, the kids continue to asked a lot of questions. Not the usual activities locals would do, but something we should all give a try.