IN darkness, surrounded by swooping bats and leaping frogs is not everyone's idea fun. But going on a night trip to Shanghai Botanical Garden proved an illuminating experience - in more ways than one - for Lu Feiran.

I've never been the type who is into animals like bats, frogs and spiders, no matter how often people tell me that they are beautiful. So I was fairly unenthusiastic about the prospect of a night trip to Shanghai Botanical Garden. How wrong I was. The two-hour trip turned out to be much more fun than I could have imagined.

Every summer holiday, the garden, together with the Shanghai Wild Bird Society, organizes weekend night trips for children aged between six and 12. Accompanied by their parents and armed with flashlights, young nature lovers observe animal and plant life under the instruction of volunteers from universities and non-governmental organizations.

My trip started on a hot, muggy Saturday evening - a thunderstorm was predicted that night - as volunteers were receiving their final training before sunset.

Night at a botanical garden feels a lot like the Ben Stiller movie "Night at the Museum" - nothing really sleeps there either. Bats swoop over your head, frogs come bouncing out of the water, weasels run through the woods and night-blooming plants open their petals.

My first experience of the trip was listening for bird calls. "Twilight is the best time to listen for birds, and the sound stops after sunset," said Zheng Wenqin, an official with the society.

"Herons are the most frequently heard birds in the garden, though they're secretive and we don't actually see them very often."

Meanwhile, as dusk falls insects and arthropods are stepping out.

Observing them, I saw commonplace things which I'd never bothered to consider before.

I learned that a young mantis is a deep-brown color to camouflage it on the bark of a tree from predators.

And I learned how spiders breed. In a small cave on a rockery, a spider was carrying eggs on her abdomen. Under the flashlight, I could see several translucent eggs gathered together, which was interesting, though also a little creepy for someone who's not a huge fan of arachnids.

"This is not something visitors would notice in daytime, when the garden is crowded with people," said Zheng. "At night, people have more opportunity to closely observe the creatures using flashlights."

The frogs were fun. When darkness fell, numerous cricket frogs began hopping on to the muddy ground around the lakes. We needed to be careful not to stomp on them in the darkness, which was fairly difficult because they're small and you never know in which direction they're leaping.

"Different breeds of frogs give out different croaks. Some have a variety of tones, while others just a single one," explained Zheng. "We get the children to distinguish between species according to their croaks."

Many of the volunteers seemed absolutely obsessed with the little creatures. And although many volunteers are young women, they seemed totally unafraid of the frogs, or the creepy crawlies, for that matter. They caught several frogs and let them compete with other to see which one jumped higher and farther.

I'll admit that I was a wuss, so although I was interested in the amphibian athletics under the spotlights formed by torches, I stood well back to ensure the frogs didn't jump onto my legs.

Continuing on, we struggled through a construction area - where some of us almost got stuck in wet cement - and presently reached a small wood in the middle of the garden. There I witnessed an amazing sight that I had long hoped to see. Fireflies.

We turned off the flashlights and couldn't help but gasp. Like shining green spots, more than a dozen fireflies dotted the dark woods, drifting, swirling and trailing light. It was not as I had imagined - I thought there would be of hundreds lighting up the wood - but the scene was still amazing. Fireflies don't seem scared of people. They hovered above outstretched palms, bathing them in brightness, like a small ball of positive energy.

"Firefly numbers have increased recently, thanks to the plum rain season," Zheng explained. "If the weather is dry, it's hard for us to find them."

She said this species, curtos costipennis, is the only type of firefly found in Shanghai, and is more common than you might think.

"One distinguishing characteristic is that they emit green rather than the more usual yellow light," she said.

"In fact, if we look carefully enough, we can find them in many places in the city - in parks, greenery areas and even in some residential areas. They love water, so look for them around pools and creeks."

The only disappointment of the trip was that I wasn't able to see night-blooming plants, such as tropical water lilies and pink shamrocks.

The instructors explained that the tropical water lilies bloom in August, while the pink shamrocks we checked had their leaves drawn in, as though sleeping.

"If you are lucky enough, you can witness the giant water lilies bloom in August," Zheng said.

Giant water lilies bloom only once a year, in flower for three days. The flowers open in the evening, closing at sunrise. On the first night, the color of the flowers is white, turning to pink the next evening.

Zheng said three years ago a group of children were lucky enough to see the giant plant open its petals, and were so amazed they believed it to be some kind of miracle.

Volunteers and garden staff say the night trips are fun because everything they see and hear belongs to wild nature, so no one knows what the trip will bring.

In the darkness, as your eyesight is limited, other senses become more acute. I could clearly hear something flying close to me and something creeping across the back of my left foot. I managed to stifle a scream, but the feeling of adventure was exhilarating.

Garden officials say children love this feeling of adventure. "This is the fourth year we have offered these trips," said Zhao Yingying, an official with the garden. "And every time the trips are booked up within a week."

Zhao said while the demand is there, it's impossible to offer trips daily. "Our employees need rest as they have to work the next day," explained Zhao.

Two hours into our adventure, thunder began rumbling and the storm was on the way.

Saying goodbye to the fireflies, spiders and frogs, we withdrew from the dark world and into the modern forest of concrete and lights.

But it still amazed me that I should have got so close to nature in none other place than Shanghai, and all because the lights were out.

Tips for attending night trips at the botanical garden:
Wear long-sleeved pants
Mosquito bites will be really annoying during and after the trip, especially in the areas near water. Besides, other bugs and insects may also rest on your legs, but it's okay if you are not scared of them.

Bring some mosquito repellent liquid
Despite wearing long-sleeved pants, you will still need the liquid to protect your neck and arms. So you'd better apply some liquid on the exposed skin, except for face of course.

Bring a flashlight
Although the garden is equipped with some flashlights for the visitors, you'd better bring one in case the existing ones are not inadequate.

Watch your children
There are hardly any street lamps in the garden, so you'd better tell your children to stick with you. Especially in some occasions when you have to turn off the flashlights, for example, looking for fireflies, it might be dangerous to let small kids wander about without the companion of their parents.

Stick to the guides
The garden is not that big, but still you may be lost in the darkness. Sign boards are not everywhere, and it's harder to read the sign in the darkness. So you'd better follow the volunteers and other visitors closely.

Bring some water but don't drink too much
Hot, dry summer night. Water. Naturally. But you don't want to look for bathroom everywhere during the trip and run all the way to catch up with the group. So, control your water drinking.