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A Hoebble Returns

Hello fellow Hoebble enthusiasts!

 

I have added this page to update you on some strange happenings that have occurred - the Aquatic Hoebble who visited me last year returned to my home! I know it was the same one as it seemed to nest in the same place as I placed my Hoebble bed before and it once again started collecting items that float, surely to help it when it goes back out on the water...

 

I was a bit concerned about the Hoebble as Professor Harold Nahas had said before that it is unlikely that a Hoebble would return once you have sent it out into the wild. I got in touch with my good friend Albert Apricotti who runs a brilliant phonic orchard (plants love music too - so much to learn about their personalities!) for some advice. They think that the Hoebbles may be returning as they are struggling to look after nature and they need our help.

 

Albert sent me some tips on what we can do to help protect nature in our local environment, I have attached them below. I followed the same steps as before to help my Hoebble get back to its natural habitat (see My Hoebble Story if you have forgotten how to help a Hoebble), but I’ve also tried some of their suggestions to do my part to look after our world and keep it safe for the Hoebble now it is back outside. Let me know if you have a Hoebble return or if you give any of Albert’s ideas a go!

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I think it would be brilliant for us to learn from these beautiful creatures and become a bit more Hoebble ourselves - good luck!

 

All the best,

Sofia

Albert's Tips

Aquatic Hoebbles take care of water and waterways, be it river, stream or sea. They know that water is a precious resource and they protect everything to do with water. Whether it’s the quality of water, or ensuring that not a single drop is wasted.

 

There are many things we can do to help Aquatic Hoebbles and support their care for our waterways. I try to think of activities I can do from home and further afield when I visit bodies of water close to me. Here are some of the things I have tried before:

 

  • Preserve water, turn off the tap while brushing your teeth. 

  • Use water from unfinished drinks, or the washing up to water your houseplants/garden.

  • Visit your favourite local body of water and make a list of the animals you see

  • Find a local charity that looks after your waterways and join their activities.

  • Find out more about the creatures that live in water. 

  • Find out more about the animals that live alongside our waterways.

  • Find more activities on how to save water with Water Wise.

It is crucial to care for the land and all that grows from it. Terranean Hoebbles care for the earth, ensuring plants can grow safely and strongly, and helping animals that live on and inside it. They do many jobs including: clearing rubbish and unwanted items, looking after root systems, and assisting earthworms and insects in caring for the soil. 

 

Terranean Hoebbles do a brilliant job of caring for their local flora and fauna but here are some ways we can help them with this important work:

 

  • Go on a minibeast hunt. Record everything you see.

  • Leave wildflowers for bees and insects. The flowers provide food for these pollinators.

  • Flora and fauna census: make a list of all the different plants you can find  around you. Look out of your window, explore your garden or even your local area. Understanding your local environment will help you protect it and look after it. Here’s an example of an inner city nature reserve. Many of the plants on the nature reserve are the same as you will  find, and have medicinal and healing properties.

  • Make a mini nature reserve. You will need peat-free compost, an empty yogurt pot, a piece of wood, a rock, a large tub and a trowel (or use your hands). Choose a safe place to put your tub (you could use an old window box). Put the compost in the tub. Push the yogurt pot into the compost up to its rim, and fill it with water (preferably rainwater). Water the compost. Place the wood and then the rock on the top of the compost. And then leave it. Inspect your nature reserve weekly and make a note of what you can see (look under the rock and the wood). Cut back any plants that get out of control. Keep the soil damp.

The skies and the trees that reach them also need help to stay healthy and strong. Aerial Hoebbles will make their homes in trees and support the animals in the sky, this includes keeping the air clean and fresh and ensuring these animals have plenty to eat. We can support them and this work in many ways. Maybe you could try some of these ideas:

 

  • Join the Garden BirdWatch community. Watch the birds out of your window each week and record which ones you see. Only record the ones that are using the resources in your garden. Sign up for the Garden BirdWatch and submit your findings. 

  • Make a bird-feeder out of a loo roll. You will need coconut oil and peanut butter (don’t use honey. It contains bacteria that is harmful for birds), a cardboard tube (one from the middle of a roll of toilet paper is ideal), butter knives (get a grown-up to help you), birdseed and twine. Spread the coconut oil followed by the peanut butter on the clean cardboard tube. Roll the tube on a plate filled with birdseed. Take the string and loop it through the middle of the cardboard tube. Tie the ends together and hang it in a tree away from cats. After the birds have picked off the seeds, re-roll it in the seeds again for a second use.   

  • Draw a map to your favourite tree. Explore what you can find on its trunk, in its branches and at its base. Trees provide homes for all sorts of insects, birds and other animals. 

  • Use the library. It’s a great alternative to buying new books. Or swap books with family and friends. Books use up lots of paper which comes from trees.

  • Create a scrap paper drawer to collect paper for reuse. Collect anything that is blank on one side and use it for your colouring and drawing. 

  • If you can, keep the air cleaner by walking or taking public transport instead of using your car.

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