Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust; great bug hunt in King Edward Park

Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust environmental educator Ash Muralidhar and Toby John (6), Zac (8) and his sister Evelyn (10) Hinton and Dylan Fleming (7) scouted for creepy crawlies.

Tamariki were armed with magnifying glasses and bug suckers to hunt for creepy crawlies.

Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust hosted the Great Stratford Bug Hunt in King Edward Park last week, and environmental educator Ash Muralidhar says attendees found a number of bugs.

"We hunted for worms, beetles, wētā, millipedes, cicadas, butterflies, and other creatures. A lot of people think that since King Edward Park is not a complete wild bush that there's nothing there but that's not the case. There's a large variety of creatures hidden and living in the dirt."

Dylan Fleming (7) found a number of bugs.

"I really liked using the bug sucker to find the bugs. I had a lot of fun."

Ash says the trust wanted to make the event accessible for everyone.

"It's local for the tamariki which means they didn't have to travel far."

Evelyn Hinton (10) using the magnifying glass to get a close view of the creepy crawlies in the bug sucker.

As well as searching for bugs, Ash says they learnt about ecosystems.

"We talked about their habitats, what they do, and how they break down waste. It was a good learning opportunity for them, they explored and also learnt about the creatures they found."

Ash says anyone can explore their backyard and find creepy crawlies.

"People don't need scientific or fancy equipment to go out and explore. The bug suckers were homemade using jars and clear tubes."

Dylan Fleming (7) looking for bugs.

Evelyn Hinton (10) liked looking at the bugs up close in the magnifying glass.

"It took me a while to get the hang of the bug sucker but once I did it was great. I enjoyed using the magnifying glass because I could see everything up close."

Toby John (6) says finding the creepy crawlies was pretty neat.

"I really liked it, it was a lot of fun."