Daan Forest Park, from five centimetres up

Places they often go

The shade and fallen leaves near home are where they gather materials; the gaps between the big roots keep them dry; the path edges are the most dangerous and the best for finds.

• The path edge: human footsteps pass by, so watch out
• Between the roots: the big roots are like hills
• The leaf litter: where roofing and bedding come from
• The path and puddles after rain: like little rivers to them

Animals of the forest

The animals here are real wild animals, and to a family five centimetres tall they are enormous. They’re wild, not pets, and most of the time the family watches from cover. Some, like birds and squirrels, also help carry supplies to the cottage.

• By day: sparrows, bulbuls, spotted doves and pigeons, Pallas’s squirrels, magpies and Taiwan blue magpies
• On the ground and in the trees: rhinoceros and stag beetles, snails, ants, tree frogs
• At night: fireflies, masked palm civets, and collared scops owls, which hunt, so the family hides
• Cats and dogs on the path are the biggest danger
• On rare nights, a wild boar or a Formosan black bear comes down from the mountains. The family only sees them from hiding, and they’re gone before dawn

The park changes every day

After rain the paths turn to puddles, gardeners turn the soil, and every season drops different leaves. Each change becomes a problem or a surprise in their lives.