CHILDREN at Leavening Primary School are learning about wildlife through the seasons with the help of a bright new wall mural.

The mural was designed by artist Wendi New from Northallerton.

It has been placed by the window in the school’s Key Stage 1 classroom for reception children.

Ms New said: “They asked that I capture the view of the countryside and the stunning Yorkshire Wolds and the hedgerow wildlife throughout the seasons.

“I have therefore illustrated the magpie moth caterpillar in spring, with the adult moth in summer and also the chrysalis shown among the branches of the hedge it feeds on mostly in the autumn.

“The baby rabbits grow into adults across the mural and also there are berries, blossoms, flowers, insects and lots more wildlife to spot.”

She added she tried to include lots of detail in the mural to make it an “attractive and informative” teaching aid.

“This mural is also a wipeboard, so the teachers can use it to show what is happening outside their window,” she said. “The mural really does brighten up the room and the window area for the little ones in that classroom.”

This is not the first time Wendi has been commissioned by the school, having previously decorated the school toilets, turning the walls into a bright forest scene.

Wendi New, who has a studio on Northallerton High Street, is a trained natural history illustrator. She has taught for 21 years including in a Young Offenders’ Prison, where her students were awarded the Koester Prize Award in 2006.