Light emerald moth. Adults may often be disturbed from rest where they sit on the underside of tree and shrub leaves. The larvae can be seen from mid-August to the following May or June, spending the winter lying flat against the stems of the foodplant. Colour ranges between light emerald and white.
Large Longhorn, Nematopogon Swammerdamella. The largest of Britain’s ‘longhorn’ moths with long white antennae and yellow-orange head tufts. Wingspan 18-21 mm.
Leafhopper, Issus coleoptratus. These insects are part of a wide group – so much so that many don’t even have common names. They live on shrubbery and on foliage of various woody plants and common deciduous trees and in mixed forests. They’re not big hoppers like grass hoppers and tend to shuffle along quite slowly.
Hoverfly, phaerophoria-Scripta. Hoverflies are true flies in that they have only one pair of wings compared to most other insects such as bees and wasps which have two pairs.Many hoverflies mimic wasps or bees with markings of black and yellow. Hoverflies do not bite or sting. Adult hoverflies are important pollinators.
Ferruginous bee grabber fly, Sicus ferrugineus. The larvae are endoparasites of bumble bees of the genus Bombus. They pupate and overwinter in their victims.
Bleeding Heart Spider, Nigma-Puella. The female is striking, with a light green abdomen marked with a bold maroon blotch and a variable amount of barring in the same colour. The male is reddish brown. This species makes a horizontal web over the top surface of a leaf.
Black and yellow longhorn beetle, Rutpela maculata. These beetles are usually found in areas close to woodland, where there is plenty of dead wood for their larvae to feed on. They have long antennae but no horns! Females lay their eggs on fallen trees and branches, or rotting stumps. The larvae live within the wood, feeding on it, for two […]
Batman Hoverfly, Myathropa florea. This hoverfly has bold yellow and black markings and gets its common name from the dark outline on the thorax which resembles the famous batman symbol.
Banded General, Stratiomys potamida. Soldier flies get their name from their bold and bright colours and markings. This one looking like a very flat wasp. Often seen feeding on umbellifers and Bramble in wet areas. Larvae are amphibious, feeding in ponds and ditches.
Common darter dragonfly, Sympetrum striolatum. Habitat is ponds and other still, stagnant or even brackish waters are used, and they are frequently found at small garden ponds. They are frequently found away from water, resting on the tops of plants in woodland rides.
