Get involved in our citizen science project by hosting your own Big City Bug Hunt. Explore our guide to help you and your volunteers take part in citizen science and discover the hidden wildlife in your growing space.
Big City Bug Hunt: activity guide
Bug hunt in action. Credit: Rachel Dring
In partnership with Greenspace Information for Greater London (GiGL) and iNaturalist, The Big City Bug Hunt is a London-wide project celebrating the insects living in food-growing spaces across the city. By joining a bug hunt, you can get up close with nature, discover what’s buzzing in your growing space, and help build a better picture of London’s biodiversity- all while taking part in a fun and easy citizen science activity.
Here’s a simple group activity to learn about and record the insect life that’s in your garden.
This activity focuses on pollinators, as they are common and easy to spot, but feel free to discover and record the wide range of critters you find in your garden.
Bug Hunt Instruction:
Equipment you’ll need: just your phone with the iNaturalist app downloaded - simple as.
- When you’ve made iNaturalist account and joined
, head into your garden.
- You can go solo, or if you're in a group, you can split up.
- Spend 15 minutes observing insects in different parts of your growing site, in the flower and vegetables beds, by trees and compost heaps.
- Lift up logs, pots and trays and see what’s underneath.
- Spot and snap, try to take clear pictures of any insects you see.
- Upload your photos to iNaturalist, on your phone or later on a laptop, to help identify and record them.
- Share your findings and pictures – if you have a WhatsApp group this is a great way to share what you’ve spotted with your wider garden community and encurage them to join in too!
If you have a pond you want to explore, check out our activity guide on pond dipping.
Remember, your bug hunting will only count towards our citizen science project if you use iNaturalist. It's a great tool for identifying and monitoring the biodiversity at your food-growing site. Need help with iNaturalist? Check out their resources.
If you have any questions about the project or help getting set up, contact lula.wattam@sustainweb.org. For more information about GIGL you can visit their website here and for any FAQ's about iNaturalist click here.
05/02/2026
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