Children today spend so little time outdoors that much of Britain’s most common wildlife remains completely alien to them, according to our new survey.
  
One in three cannot identify a magpie, one of the UK’s most common and most distinctive birds, while half couldn’t tell the difference between a bee and a wasp.
We found that:
- Just 53 per cent could correctly identify an oak leaf – the national tree and a powerful symbol of England
- 29 per cent failed to spot a magpie, despite the numbers soaring three-fold over the past 30 years
- Only 47 per cent of children correctly identified a barn owl
- One in three failed to recognise a Red Admiral, Britain’s best-known butterfly
- Children in Northern Ireland – where half couldn’t recognise a magpie – were least able to identify common wildlife
- Children in East Anglia, meanwhile, proved to be most aware of their natural surroundings
When it came to identifying fictional creatures, however, children’s abilities suddenly soared with:
- Nine out of ten able to correctly name Doctor Who’s enemies, the Daleks
- A similar number were able to identify Star Wars’ Jedi Grand Master, Yoda.
The figures are clearly a cause for concern for parents. Asked about their own knowledge of nature:
- 67 per cent of parents thought they knew more about wildlife when they were youngsters than their children do now
- 65 per cent felt that this was partly due to the fact that they spent too little time with their children as a family outdoors
- Parents in the North East worry the most about their children’s knowledge of wildlife
- More parents in the West Midlands felt they knew more than their offspring than anywhere else.
The survey, carried out across both urban and rural areas across the UK, is part of a major new campaign being launched in London to encourage families to spend more time together outdoors.
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TV naturalist Nick Baker said:
'It’s a sad modern phenomenon that has left many of us, and in particular the younger generations, disconnected from the natural world. In an age where Nintendos and Playstations compete with tree climbing and pond dipping; the virtual world is winning. With more kids better able to identify a fictitious alien than our national tree, the Oak, something needs to be done.'
'So this summer the National Trust is doing its bit to give access to the natural world and stimulate the imagination. So get on the bus and journey to ‘Outer Space’.'
Fellow TV Naturalist, Mike Dilger, of BBC’s The One Show, added:
'My first brush with nature was with nettles... and as a child I couldn't wait for the weekends knowing that I'd be able to spend the whole time outside making dens, climbing trees and catching minnows. Nowadays, kids seem much to prefer sitting in darkened rooms with computer games, rather than inhale the fresh air in their lungs. This is something which fills me with great sadness, and why I'm determined to do my part in a small way in trying to encourage them outside.'
Matthew Oates, one of our nature conservation advisers, added:
'Natural beauty and wildlife are vital to us. We are part of nature; we need it, and we need the beauty, wonder and laughter it offers us. The more distanced we become from nature, the more difficult it will be for us to survive on this planet.'
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Take a fantastic family journey into Space
© The National Trust
We are launching a campaign aimed at encouraging families to spend more time taking in their natural surroundings together. As part of the launch, we are taking a flavour of the outdoors to major cities across England in the form of a specially adapted red bus, complete with outdoor garden on the top deck, as a reminder that for most families the journey to space is a short one.
Starting in London, the Bus to Space will then visit Birmingham on July 9, Manchester and York on July 10 and Bristol on July 12.
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