Friends Of Philips Park Bury

30/06/2026

And some fun activities for the last week!

The full moons are given names; find out what they are, and why not draw you interpretation of them; this is a great one for adults as well as children, and do tag us in if you do any!

One of the beauties of a clear night sky is being able to see some of the constellations with the naked eye. Can you recognise any? Do you know the myths behind their name? Can you create modern names and myths? If you’d prefer to just look in awe of the distant light reaching us, do look up what you can see in the sky; there are some meteor showers due over the next couple of months for example, so why not plan a sky watch night for then.

And finally, just when you thought you’d seen everything, you’ve now seen a horse fly! Yes I know, it’s a bad one! And it was a painful bite; our photographer was dedicated enough to get the photo before shooing it away; “I’d already been bitten” 😱 Please don’t go that far!

Thank you for sharing June with us; please enjoy July with us too.

30/06/2026

Oh my! When life gets in the way, it’s when you need nature most! Apologies folks!

Here is an amalgam of the learn about nature days I missed.

How to tell if it’s a butterfly or a moth? If the wings close vertically, it’s a butterfly (this is a Red Admiral), and if the wings close horizontally, it’s a moth (this is a Large Yellow Underwing). It can help to identify what you’ve spotted if you know which it is.

The plant is a teasel, but what is that creature on it? It’s a ladybird larvae, and as the plant is covered in aphids, will not go hungry! However, it may have a battle on its hands, as ants are also present, who love the sweet excretions of the aphids, so will often protect them from predators, such as ladybirds.

This plant is called Meadowsweet, and has a lovely scent. It has a long history of use, is popular with gardeners, herbalists, brewers, and was once used to cover floors. This is a great plant to start with if you want to discover more.

Cloud spotting is a fun year round pastime, and so too is spotting some of the optical effects too. The word ‘crepuscular’ refers to twilight, when this effect of rays of light coming from the sun is most often seen. It can be subtle, or quite dramatic, but you now know what it’s called!

16/06/2026

This is probably quite a familiar sound, but do you know who is singing?

Can you identify any bird calls? Do you know which bird call sounds like ‘teacher, teacher’? Or which owl female says ‘terwit’, and the male answers ‘hoo’?

Why not try to identify a familiar bird song, call, or warning; blackbirds tut tut tut as a warning for example. It it lovely to know that hidden in that tree is a bird you’ve identified from sound alone 🥰

Answers:
Blackbird
Great Tit
Tawny Owl

15/06/2026

This week, the theme is learn about wildlife. Let’s start with a fluffy one!

BTW, there will be spiders this week 🕷️

Did you know there are 24 different species of bumblebee in the UK?

They are an important pollinator, and 2 species have become extinct, with several others with declining numbers.

We don’t use pesticides, insecticides, or fungicides in the park. We also plant for pollinators by including certain plants in the borders, with varying flowering seasons, and have areas of native wild flowers.

Alliums, as shown in the photo, are great for pollinators; and are an attractive addition to any border. This is an ornamental alliums by the way!

14/06/2026

And for Sunday, let’s treat all the senses, and have a drink outside. Maybe even a meal outside; an ice cream counts!

Having a drink outside is one of the easiest ways to add a bit of nature into a busy day, or any day; let’s enjoy the weather regardless!

Our fellow volunteers Friends of the Old Town Hall Gardens- Whitefield even had a hot drink and biscuit in the rain on Friday! Any weather can be a fun backdrop 👍

14/06/2026

There is a sense we forget we have sometimes: common sense!

Some of the sayings we have grown up hearing are common sense wrapped in cosy phrases; look before you leap; don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched; measure twice, cut once.

Some of the phrases however are based on observations.

The photo was actually taken at 04:38 on Thursday, and it was indeed a beautiful sunrise.

Did the saying “red sky at night, shepherds’ delight; red sky in morning, shepherds’ warning” prove true?

Yes! Look back at the photos for Thursday; it did indeed rain!

In the UK, our weather systems come from the west, and evening red sky usually means good weather is on its way; in the morning, it’s already passed on. If you want a more detailed explanation, let me know; I’ll add it in the comments.

What other nature phrases can you think of? Have any of them proved repeatedly accurate (mostly)? Or are they curious phrases that you wonder about? Raining cats and dogs? Is it really nice weather for ducks?

12/06/2026

If you recognise the first photo, you maybe wondering what sense is today, and hoping it’s not touch!

No, it’s taste!

Nettles are popular with foragers and herbalists, but also food for caterpillars including Peacock and Red Admiral butterflies, so whilst you might not be tempted to try the vitamin and mineral filled plant, they have no qualms, so do look out for the caterpillars if you see nettles, and when you spot the butterflies, be thankful the nettles were there for their larvae!

You will probably feel more comfortable with bramble; it’s worth checking where there are bushes away from roadsides that you could forage from in a couple of months.

Not into foraging? How about home grown strawberries? These aren’t ripe yet, but ooo when they are they won’t last long enough to make jam from!

11/06/2026