This is neat. I’ve certainly pulled the ‘needles’ apart to see how they work. Next time I see one, I will try joining them up again.
That’s incredible! I knew some plants secreted flammable oils but flammable gas is insane!
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Giving people a twig from a yellow birch tree to chew on while they hike (in Northeastern North America) is fun for this, too.
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I don’t think anyone has mentioned handling or breaking off a chunk of a fast-staining mushroom (like these). That’s a fun attention-grabber.
If you’re near a stream, grabbing any rock and showing off the aquatic inverts clinging to it is usually good for 10 minutes of excitement.
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Jack-in-the-pulpit is so cool-looking just by itself.
The smell of sweetfern and/or wintergreen is always great.
Peeling and eating thistles, although startling at first, is also a nice trick.
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Popping the seedcases of Impatiens capensis, also known as jewelweed or spotted touch-me-not with the heat of your hand is always fun!
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My favorite is showing people why cherry millipedes have their common name. I don’t recommend letting an unfamiliar person handle one of those guys as you never know how their skin will react, but letting them sniff the millipede or your skin after you’ve touched it is always fun and educational. I always make sure to give them a little warning to ALWAYS wash their hands well after touching any type of millipede, though.
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Our Cape fynbos contains proteas - named for the Greek god who could change his form. But I think our daisies vary hugely from the expected ‘yellow dinner plate’ that anyone can recognise. Even they vary from huge woody almost trees with fruit to ethereal tinies. One that looks like a bulb, and others with succulent leaves - appropriately named Curio!
For our new Fynbos Ramblers- when in doubt, that’s a Nother daisy.
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I find most of my daytime owls not by seeing them, but by listening. If you hear agitated bird calls, go see what they’re upset about. Especially if any of them are jays, and especially if it’s multiple species of bird calling at once. Small birds will mob a larger predatory bird like a hawk or owl (or vulture they think is a predator), and if you happen to be in hearing range at the time, you can follow the noises to see whatever they’re mad at. Mind you, it might be a snake (which you may also enjoy seeing- I do), or a cat, or some other predator, but often it’ll be a hawk or owl.
Do keep in mind that owls are very sensitive to disturbance. One being mobbed is already very disturbed and is therefore less vulnerable, with you and your big shiny eyes (binocular lenses/camera lens) being lower on its priority list than being pecked on the head, but if you do happen to find one during the day and it isn’t being attacked, you should limit your time looking at it. Not least as you don’t want to draw the attention of little birds that will mob the poor thing while it’s trying to sleep.
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Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) exploding seed pods.
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I love this topic ! When I’m working, I carry a little “nature mediation kit” in my bag. Kids really need sensory experiences in order to connect with nature, so I let them touch a snake molt (always a hit!), a hatched eggshell, various feathers I’ve collected over time…
One of my favourite comparisons is between an owl feather and a pelican feather The owl feather is very soft, and when you wave it through the air it makes no sound at all, unlike the pelican feather, which is stiffer and whooshes loudly. It’s such a simple, tangible way to show how owls rely on silent flight to hunt at night. Kids love it, it involves touch, sound, feeling the breeze the feather creates… and a lot of adults who assumed “a feather is just a feather” are just as amazed.
I too love introducing the idea of mimicry. Many people assume every striped flying insect is a bee, so showing them hoverflies and explaining their bee-like appearance always sparks curiosity and teaches them to look closer instead of just guessing.
Where I live (northern France), kids often have huge gaps in basic nature knowledge. Many don’t know the names of the most common birds, or even what a bumblebee is. Sometimes, simply giving a name to what they’re seeing “that’s a Eurasian coot!” or briefly explaining a behavior “this bee is collecting nectar from the flower” is enough to spark amazement. They react so strongly because they’re really craving this kind of information, and they rarely get it in their daily lives.
outside of work a lot of these interactions start when someone sees me staring at the ground or into the grass and asks what I’m looking at. Sometimes they’re not that interested, but other times they’re amazed to see on the macro images how intricate and beautiful these tiny creatures are right there under their feet, in places they would never think to look. I like to believe it makes them a bit more attentive
Even when I don’t have my camera, I’ll always point out a bug or any other small organism to the person I’m with, give its name, and share a little fact. Most people become curious surprisingly fast, and they often start pointing things out themselves or asking questions
And with plants, I love getting kids to touch the soft or hairy leaves. It’s such a simple sensory experience, but it immediately creates a connection.
Nettles are fun too: they’re one plant most people already know and recognise. And as for tricks, I’ve enjoyed ever since I was a child touching them in the right way so I don’t get stung, it always gets a big reaction. I still do it sometimes today, whether it’s to explain how nettles sting or to point out that a plant someone thinks is a nettle is actually a similar species from the same family. From there, I go on to talk about how important nettles are as host plants for many butterfly species, which usually reshapes their view of this “annoying” plant.
last week after i talked with a kid at work he went to his father to ask him for his phone because he wanted to show me a snail he saw earlier an that was very endearing, i then showed him a snail on a plant next to us and he was happy to learn its name, i know he will remember it
All these tiny interactions feel small, but they really add up. i like noticing the moment where someone starts paying attention and i’d be happy to find more ways to create these moments !
thanks for this thread :)
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