Families enjoyed a fun morning of walking and wildlife during a recent event at Argal Reservoir near Penryn.

The South West Lakes Trust held its family wildlife day at the lake to give parents and children a chance to discover the wildlife at Argal with a host of activities led by the West Cornwall countryside warden Beth Heasman.

The day started with a treasure hunt walk as children and adults identified trees and plants from a tick-sheet, and spotted birds and insects too.

At the nature reserve, where the fresh water enters the lake, they embarked on a mission to find out what lives in the water in the streams and pools with a pond-dipping session, and the group managed to net lots of freshwater shrimps, pond-skaters, cased caddis-fly larvae and much more, as well as a water scorpion, and Beth reassured the visitors that it sounds a lot more ferocious than it actually is.

The warden lit a small, controlled fire while the group built dens with natural materials found on the floor of the woodland and then enjoyed toasting marshmallows for a well-earned snack.

A South West Lakes Trust spokesperson said: "At the end of the day all the freshwater invertebrates that had been netted were returned to the water and the fire was extinguished, leaving no sign that anyone had been there as the participants walked back around the lake to enjoy refreshments at Argal Lake Café by the car park."

For information on upcoming events, see the notice board at Argal or the South West Lakes Trust website at www.swlakestrust.org.uk