Interactive Mapestry Tour!

The Common Frog is easily our most recognisable amphibian. They’re found throughout Britain and Ireland, in almost any habitat where suitable breeding ponds are near by. Common Frogs have smooth skin and long legs for jumping away quickly. Garden ponds are extremely important for common frogs, particularly in urban areas.

The National Wallace Monument sits on top of Abbey Craig, a hilltop above Stirling. It is a 67 metre tall tower which commemorates Sir William Wallace, a Scottish hero from the 13th and 14th century. Abbey Craig is said to be where William Wallace watched the gathering of the English army just before the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297.

Great Crested Newts are the biggest newt species in the UK and have been around for approximately 40 million years.

They are widely distributed throughout Britain but this distribution is extremely patchy; they’re absent from Ireland and have disappeared from many sites across Europe. They are the largest of our native newt species. During the breeding season males develop a jagged crest which has a break at the base of the tail and females take on a ‘bulky’ appearance.

There are several species of bumblebee, with the most common being the red-tailed, white-tailed, buff-tailed or garden bumblebee.

Bumblebees are hairy and large, with yellow banding. If you look very closely you may be able to tell the difference between different species and identify some of the ones mentioned above!

Bees live in colonies of approximately 200 bees, with one queen. The queen will hibernate in the winter and then emerge in spring to create her nest and lay her eggs that hatch into sterile females/workers. The workers spread out and gather pollen and nectar. At the end of the season the males and new queens hatch and mate. When the new queens start to hibernate in the winter the old queens, workers and males die.

Bumblebees will only sting you if they feel threatened! They are one of the most important species as they are pollinators of many plants.

Dragonflies (suborder Anisoptera) have long, delicate, transparent wings. Their bodies are long and slender and they have two large eyes on their head. Dragonflies are very colourful such as beautiful red like the Comet Darner or yellow like the Emerald Darner. 

They have two pairs of wings which they can beat together or separately, with a wing beat of 50 -90 seconds. 

Tapoch Broch, also known as Torwood Broch is situated in a forest near to the town of Denny in Falkirk. In 1864 the area where the broch is was excavated, revealing that the site was not simply a mound on a hill but a 'broch', a drystone hollowed out structure that is more commonly seen in the north and northwest of Scotland.

The origin of a broch is a big controversy with some believing they are castles, others forts. What do you think they were made for?

Coccinellidae, commonly known as Ladybirds here in the United Kingdom (UK) are a family of small beetles, ranging in size from 0.8 to 88mm. The most well-known ladybirds are red with black spots, however you do get some which are brown and white or yellow and black. Ladybirds are brightly coloured to warn predators off as they are bitter in taste. There are roughly 40 species in the UK.

Robert the Bruce was King of the Scots from 1306 to 1329 when he died. He won the decisive battle of Bannockburn in 1314, freeing Scotland from English rule and confirming Scottish Independence with the Treaty of Northampton in 1328.

In 1964 the statue of Robert the Bruce was commissioned by the Earl of Elgin near to the site of the Battle of Bannockburn, where the Battle of Bannockburn visitor centre now is.  It was unveiled by the Queen!