INSECTS
DAMSELFLIES
Blue-tailed Damselfly
Ischnura elegans
A pair of mating damselflies in the 'wheel' position. The male is above with the end of its tail grasping the female's neck.
Large Red Damselfly
Pyrrhosoma nymphula
Black legs and dark wing spots enable this species to be distinguished from the smaller and rarer Small Red Damselfly. Usually found in wetland habitats with still or slow-running waters.
Large Red Damselfly
Pyrrhosoma nymphula
Black legs and dark wing spots enable this species to be distinguished from the smaller and rarer Small Red Damselfly. Usually found in wetland habitats with still or slow-running waters.
STONEFLIES
EARWIGS
GRASSHOPPERS
Field Grasshopper
Chorthippus brunneus
Often found in damp grassland during August. There are white or creamish lines on the shoulders that are strongly indented and the underside is hairy. It's song is a series of short soft buzzes.
Meadow Grasshopper
Chorthippus parallelus
The Meadow Grasshopper lives in damp grassland. It is mainly green, however brown and purplish forms also occur. Unlike the Field Grasshopper this species doesn't have a hairy chest. Males rub their legs against their wings to create a regular 'rrrr' sound to attract females.
CRICKETS
Roesel's Bush-cricket
Roeseliana roeselii
The species is fairly easy to identify due to a prominent creamy edge to the thorax. This is an immature example. Full-grown adults can be up to 25mm in length. They are found in rough grassland, scrub and damp meadows from June to October, often emitting a high-pitched, long and monotonous buzz.
Conehead Bush-cricket
Conocephalus
Coneheads are a type of Bush-cricket that inhabit rough grassland and are mainly herbivorous, feeding on grasses. Nymphs emerge from mid-May and have a black line along the back and short wings. Long-winged and Short-winged species exist, but it is hard to distinguish the two during the early stages of their life cycle. At the end of July the nymphs moult into their adult forms.
BARKFLIES
There are currently 68 types of Barkfly living in Britain, however they are possibly the least recorded insect group. Today the name 'Barkfly' is commonly used instead of 'Booklouse'. The older name is due to one particular species feeding on microscopic moulds on glue of book-bindings kept in damp conditions.
Ectopsocus briggsi agg. (briggsi/petersi/meridionalis)
One of three similar species of Barkfly that cannot be separated without close examination of the genitalia. These variable wing-spotted insects are 1.5 to 2mm long. Males have wings longer than the abdomen while females appear in both long and short-winged forms. They feed on microflora growing on various trees and shrubs.
Yellow Barkfly
Valenzuela flavidus
The Yellow Barkfly feeds on bacteria, microscopic algae and fungi on trees. This species is active from June to October and spends winter and spring in leaf litter. 3mm long.