This page is essentially for all insects other than butterflies and moths. Entomolgy is a large branch of zoology and we’re going to try to keep it simple. Apologies to the experts if you spot any glaring mistakes. Let us know.
So what’s the difference between a bug and a beetle? Perhaps one of the simplest differences is that bugs are mostly plant feeders that take a liquid diet and therefore they have needle or straw like mouthparts. Beetles eat a wide range of plant and animal materials and therefore have chewing mouthparts. The wings of bugs are either membranous or partially-thickened while the forewings of beetles serve as a hard covering and the hind wings are membranous.
- All Bugs, Bees and other Insects
- Bees
- Beetles
- Birds
- Blue flower
- Bugs
- Butterflies
- Crickets
- Damselflies
- Dragonflies
- Flora
- Moths
- Pink flower
- Purple flower
- Red flower
- Spiders
- White flower
- Wildlife Trail flower
- Yellow flower
Andrena cineraria. Females create nests underground by excavating burrows in bare/sparsely vegetated earth often in […] More
Banded General, Stratiomys potamida. Soldier flies get their name from their bold and bright colours […] More
Batman Hoverfly, Myathropa florea. This hoverfly has bold yellow and black markings and gets its […] More
Black and yellow longhorn beetle, Rutpela maculata. These beetles are usually found in areas close […] More
Black-headed Cardinal Beetle, Pyrochroa coccinea, Adults are short-lived and have a brief season, usually appearing […] More
Bleeding Heart Spider, Nigma-Puella. The female is striking, with a light green abdomen marked with […] More
Buff-tailed bumble bee, Bombus terrestris. One of the more abundant bumble bees that can even […] More
Common carder bee, Bombus pascuorum. Only three species (Common carder bee; Moss carder bee, Bombus […] More
Common green shieldbug, Palomena prasina. Climate change has given a boost to this beetle which […] More
Common red soldier beetle, Rhagonycha fulva. Quite a common sight within meadows in the summer […] More
Crab spider, Misumena vatia. They are called crab spiders because of their unique ability to […] More
Cuckoo bee, Nomada lathburiana. The term cuckoo bee is used for a variety of different […] More
False blister beetle, Ischnomera cyanea. This beetle is about 12 mm long with bright iridescent […] More
Ferruginous bee grabber fly, Sicus ferrugineus. The larvae are endoparasites of bumble bees of the […] More
Garden spider, Araneus diadematus. The garden spider is one of the UK's largest spider species […] More
Hairy-footed flower bee, Anthophora plumipes. This species is one of the first solitary bees to […] More
Leafhopper, Issus coleoptratus. These insects are part of a wide group - so much so […] More
Red tailed bumble bee, Bombus lapidarius. One of the Big 7 widespread and abundant species, […] More
Rhopalus subrufus. Length 7 to 7.5 mm. This genus of bug closely associated with shield […] More
Seven spot ladybird, Coccinella septempunctata. Probably the most well known beetle in the UK. The […] More
Speckled Bush Cricket, Leptophyes Punctatissima. Eggs are laid in late summer into tree bark or […] More
Sun Jumping Spider, Heliophanus Cupreus. Jumping spiders have some of the best vision among arthropods […] More
Thick legged hoverfly, Syritta pipiens. Adults are critical pollinators for a variety of flowering plants […] More
Vestal Cuckoo Bee, Bombus vestalis. It is a brood parasite that takes over the nests […] More
Wasp beetle, Clytus arietis, The wasp beetle, is a wasp-mimicking longhorn beetle. It is harmless […] More