A notebook.
Your findings.

Up to six proposals of Cabeceiras, in your own order, to do it at home, in company or on a break.

3 de 6 propostas escolhidas · faça-as ao seu ritmo.

PROPOSTA 1 DE 3 · Life you do not always see

Compare two faces

Badger · general biology

A home beneath the ground

The European badger, Meles meles, is mainly nocturnal and shelters in extensive underground setts. Two dark stripes on a white head are a striking visual clue; its short legs have strong claws. Museu Virtual da Biodiversidade describes its presence in woods, forests and farmland with vegetation. This profile explains the species in mainland Portugal; it does not document an observation in Cabeceiras de Basto. The claws are long and non-retractile: they do not draw back like a cat’s. A short, pale tail provides another contrast with a fox’s long tail. These details help compare descriptions without searching for or disturbing setts.

Vamos experimentar?

1. In the photograph, it follows the light and dark bands of the head and the contour of the body.
2. Compare the text with the image: the description of the claws and the den goes beyond what this framework shows.
3. Open the otter story and compare the snouts in the two photographs, keeping the contexts of each park separate.

The badger was photographed at the British Wildlife Centre in the UK. A daylight photograph in a park does not invalidate the description of the species' mostly nocturnal habits.

Open a história e os seus recursos →

Sources of this proposal

• University of Évora — Virtual Museum of Biodiversity: Meles melesConsultation/revision: 2026-11-07

My findings

An idea, a drawing or a question to go on.

PROPOSTA 2 DE 3 · Time travel

Try observing

Gondiães e Vilar de Cunhas · memory and landscape

A house with three granaries

In Casa de Chouzas, three 19th-century granaries join the solarengo building highlighted by the Municipality. The set approximates two functions: inhabit and guard the harvest. Instead of looking only at the main house, it is also worth recognizing the importance of agricultural support constructions. The presentation of Vilar de Cunhas places this heritage in a plateau and mountain landscape, marked by agriculture and pastoral care. The house and the granaries can be read in this work context, without the source detailing the production of each property. The dating of the house is less firm: the municipality presents it as perhaps 19th century, while assigning the granaries to the 19th century. This difference must remain visible. The photo accompanying the reading shows the portal; it does not show the three granaries. The asset reference does not confirm access to the set.

Vamos experimentar?

1. Look at the photo of the portal and list only the elements you can see.
2. Compared to the three granaries mentioned in the text: what depends on the written description?
3. Imagine a caption that distinguishes the frame of the photograph from the remaining patrimonial set.

An activity to try at your own pace, without collecting specimens.

Open a história e os seus recursos →

Sources of this proposal

• Municipality — Gondiães e Vilar de Cunhas, landscape, heritage and craftsConsultation/revision: 2026-11-07

My findings

An idea, a drawing or a question to go on.

PROPOSTA 3 DE 3 · Read the landscape through the plants

Try observing

Hillside crops · olive botany

One leaf, two sides

The municipality’s landscape description includes olive trees on the hillsides of Cabeceiras. The cultivated olive has leaves that are grey-green above and silvery-grey beneath, where hairs grow. Its small flowers have four white petals joined at the base. The fruit is the olive, an oil-rich drupe. The University of Évora’s description follows the change from green to reddish and dark shades during ripening, but also mentions forms that remain green when ripe. Colour alone does not tell the fruit’s whole story. The connection from tree to olive oil continues in the story of the Ramil oil mill. The profile distinguishes the cultivated olive from its wild form, known in Portuguese as zambujeiro. The latter is described as having smaller leaves and fruits and thorny lower branches. This comparison shows why a single feature, such as the silvery underside of a leaf, does not explain every difference. The olive is evergreen: it retains foliage throughout the year. You can therefore return to the same tree in different seasons and compare leaves, flowers and fruits, without expecting to find them all at once.

Vamos experimentar?

1. Observes the photograph: draw the contour and the central nerve of the sheet.
2. The image does not show the two sides of the same sheet. Separate what you see from what the text explains on the lower face.
3. If you observe an olive tree throughout the year, record separately leaves, flowers and fruits, without taking off material.

An activity to try at your own pace, without collecting specimens.

Open a história e os seus recursos →

Sources of this proposal

• University of Évora — Virtual Museum of Biodiversity, Olea europaeaConsultation/revision: 2026-11-07
• Municipality — landscape and vegetationConsultation/revision: 2026-11-07

My findings

An idea, a drawing or a question to go on.