Bug man Ruud Kleinpaste didn't have any of his multi-legged friends with him when he visited Rapaura School yesterday but that didn't seem to matter to the pupils.
They were treated to an impromptu ecology lesson.
Mr Kleinpaste was at the school to inspect the site for the new outdoor classroom the school has won as part of a national competition.
The Marlborough Express reported last week that the school was one of four selected throughout the country to receive the Treemendous makeover, run by the Mazda Foundation and the Project Crimson Trust.
During his visit yesterday, Mr Kleinpaste gave principal Helen Williams design tips and ideas about how to attract birds and insects, including "bamboo motels" hanging from trees to attract weta.
Attracting bugs and native birds back to the site was about re-building an ecosystem from the ground up, he told the pupils. They were excited when he said falcons may eventually settle nearby or moreporks could nest in the trees as a result of improving the habitat.
Although the outdoor classroom would be small, it was a "blank canvas" with potential to expand further into the school, he said.
Vineyards close to the school and throughout the region were not fit for many native birds or bugs, he said.
"From a biological point of view it [the vineyards] is a really poor habitat. If you do want to stimulate native birds you need to give them back what was here," he said.
"If Marlborough can do this with school after school, you can get a really good restoration [of habitat] going."
Mr Kleinpaste flew to Wellington yesterday afternoon to report back to the Mazda Foundation and the Project Crimson Trust on what he saw at the school.
NURTURE NATURE: Bug man Ruud Kleinpaste was at Rapaura School yesterday to inspect the site for the school's outdoor classroom, which he expects will attract native insects and birds.
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