We know it’s not always the same story now! Plenty of adults and children alike are increasingly disconnected from nature. A lack of knowledge and education about our natural history means minibeasts are often lumped together, perceived as ‘gross’ or ‘scary’. If you don’t understand something, that unknown creature buzzing around you becomes a threat. We’ve all witnessed the panicked screaming and hand-flapping caused by an uninvited wasp visiting a picnic.

When it comes to our attention, nature is increasingly competing against the world of smartphones and social media. Prising a mobile from a kid’s hands and sending them outside can seem like an impossible task! But, perhaps we could turn this around and use our devices to get closer to nature…

The fabulous 30 Days Wild campaign is a brilliant example of how we can use our devices to connect with wildlife in new ways. As a conservationist, nature lover and wildlife blogger, I’m passionate about using technology positively to discover nature on a whole new level.

Armed with nothing but my phone and a simple clip-on macro lens, I regularly head out on my mini-adventures investigating the fascinating, weird and awesome world of invertebrates. You don’t have to roam far, and it’s not expensive! You can buy these little lenses at places like Brockholes Nature Reserve, and they allow you to delve into a new world of buzzing, crawling and growing life.

Below are some of the funkiest critters I’ve found on my minibeast hunts! Perhaps they’ll inspire you to take on the challenge of discovering the tiny things for yourself.

Furrow orb weaver

First up, probably one of the most demonised and often feared types of critters – spiders! Sat in a bird hide, my eyes didn’t focus on the birdlife in front of me, but on this little fella perching upon the windowsill. I believe this is a male furrow orb weaver spider (Larinioides cornutus) and this guy was tiny, only about 1cm. We know he’s a male because of those swollen palps on the front of his face, which the females lack. Completely harmless and I believe quite cute!

Black-headed cardinal beetle

Next, meet the gorgeous face and fancy-pants antennae of the black-headed cardinal beetle (Pyrochroa coccinea). These hefty beetles can be seen showing themselves off, sat like black and red gems on leaves in wooded areas.

Silky snail

Until I attended a recent mollusc-based course this year, I had NO idea that some snails had hairy shells. That’s right, HAIRY shells. This is one of two we get in the UK, known as the silky snail (Ashfordia granulata).

But why are these slimy guys hairy, I hear you ask? One theory is that it helps them grip onto wet surfaces, such as leaves, which makes sense. Another is that dirt particles can attach to the hairs, and thus aid with camouflaging. Hairy or smooth, I think snails are fascinating!

Orange-tailed mining bee

This is a female orange-tailed mining bee, (Andrena haemorrhea), who was quite placid and happy to sit on my finger as she groomed herself. We know it's a female bee because of the fuzzy tibia on her hind legs, which she'll use to carry pollen back to the nest she digs. Imagine if we carried food using our hairy legs!

Orange tip butterfly

I somehow managed to spot this camouflaged female orange tip butterfly (Anthocharis cardamines) clinging for dear life onto some hogweed in the breeze. Those beady eyes pack an optical punch! Butterflies have compound eyes, meaning their vision is made up of squillions (okay, thousands, but still heaps) of little images, kind of like a mosaic. It also means they’re super-sensitive to movement, especially the looming silhouette of a nosey human sneaking up on them!

Blue-tailed damselfly

They call me the damselfly whisperer! No... they really don't. I snook up on this resting beauty on a canal-side walk recently, and through much googling identified it as a female blue-tailed damselfly (Ischnura elegans), of the infuscans colour form. She was overall an olive-green, with a brown tail spot and she was quite beautiful!

Blue-tailed damselflies have around five different colour forms, which can be a bit confusing.

Round-leaved sundew

And it’s not all about the bugs! This alien-looking weirdo is an awesome type of plant called a sundew, of which we have three species in the UK. In fact, you can see them growing on the magnificent mosslands in our region.

This is the round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) and is a plant that likes boggy, acidic and low-nutrient habitats. Because boggy peatland is so low in nutrients, these awesome plants have adapted to become carnivorous.

The droplets on the end of its spikes are made of a sweet, sticky substance which attracts things like flies to their fateful last supper. You can actually make out a tiny critter stuck to the droplets in this photo. The sundew traps its dinner in the sticky drops, and folds in to dissolve and devour its prey.

So you can see there’s an amazing amount of tiny things you can discover just using your phone! Getting up close with any invertebrate leaves me in awe of their complex mechanics and fascinating detail. Take the challenge this June for part of 30 Days Wild and see what you can discover!

You can share your 30 Days Wild adventures with us on social media. Find us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and use the hashtag #30DaysWild.