Oak bodyguards

Call to schools for a participatory science project

Students from seven European countries participated in a participatory science project. They installed hundreds of fake clay caterpillars in trees to detect traces of teeth, beaks or mandible left by caterpillar predators. They will send their observations to scientists studying the effects of climate on tree defences.

There are still several unexplored areas in Europe. This is why scientists want to repeat the experiment in 2020 and 2021. You can help them!

Detailed guidelines will accompany you through the different stages of the project, from the choice of the oak to the identification of predation marks on the caterpillars. You can then send your observations to the scientists who will add them to their own observations.