Dawn quoted in an article on the need to improve our wildlife knowledge in the Independent.

“But should we care if we can’t tell the difference between a frog and a toad – especially when it’s squashed? In fact, do most of us have any chance of naming what we see in a normal day around the world? And does it matter?

The answer, I’d argue, is yes, yes, yes. Dawn Isaac, the enthusiastic author of 2014’s stand-out 101 Things for Kids to Do Outside, agrees. “I do actually think,” says Dawn, “that it’s bloody important to know the names of species. Not for the sake of amassing facts but because knowing the name of anything means you suddenly notice it more. Tell someone the difference between stretcher bond, English garden wall and Flemish bond, and brick patterns will leap out at them. Watch a couple of episodes of Tractor Ted and you’ll suddenly see obscure farm machinery at every turn.”

Read the full article here.