Longhorn Beetles belong to the Family Cerambycidae, which is among the largest beetle families globally, including 68 species found in Britain. Approximately 20,000 species exist worldwide. They are known for their long antennae, which serve the purposes of locating mates and suitable nesting sites. Many species exhibit vibrant colours, and some employ warning colouration to discourage potential predators.
Common Toad
Bufo bufo
Toads have short dumpy legs not built for jumping so they tend to move around by crawling. Their skin is warty unlike frogs that usually have smoother skin. Toads are renowned for migrating in large groups to breeding waters as spring approaches. Sometimes observers mistake males on backs of females as mothers carrying children. However, the young are tadpoles that have to fend for themselves after hatching. Toads are more likely to be seen in springtime when it is the breeding season. Toad spawn is laid in ribbons attached to aquatic vegetation. When young toads appear following the tadpole stage they are often seen on paths, sometimes in huge numbers. During autumn a Toad spends most days hidden in a lair under logs and debris that it has hollowed out. It emerges at dusk to hunt and can travel some distance at night. The collective name for a group of Toads is a "Knot".
Early summer young toads emerge from the lake following the tadpole stage. They are often seen on paths - sometimes in huge numbers!
Male toads climb and cling onto females and wait for eggs to be laid. Females release double strings of fertilised eggs. Both the eggs and the male's sperm are released into the water where they mix. Fertilization of the eggs takes place outside the body.
Common Frog
Rana temporaria
Common Frogs are found in various colours, ranging from all shades of olive, brown or grey and green. There is normally a dark patch behind the eye and dark bands on the legs. Individuals are able to alter colour in response to light and temperature conditions. When spring approaches frogs emerge from hibernation and make their annual migration to water. The time this happens is governed by the temperature. Frogs croak to advertise that they are available for mating. The male climbs onto the back of the female and secures a firm grip. This hold can last for several days until the female lays her eggs, typically at night in shallow water. Occasionally, more than one male may be attached. Females produce release calls to signal that they have spawned. Males also make release calls, but their purpose is to fend off unwanted advances from other males. Frog spawn is generally deposited in dense clusters along the water's edge. Tadpoles stay together in a writhing mass when they first hatch. White spawn occurs when fertilisation is unsuccessful. It usually decomposes naturally in the water, but at times, the white dots may develop into white or transparent tadpoles.
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Common Carpet agg. Epirrhoe alternata/rivata
Common Carpet Epirrhoe alternata and Wood Carpet E. rivata look very similar, the latter being slightly larger. Both species feed on bedstraws.
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Hummingbird Hawk-moth Macroglossum stellatarum
Unlike most hawk-moths, this regular migrant is mainly a day-flying species usually seen visiting flowers on sunny days. Foodplants include Bedstraws and Wild Madder. The larvae are rarely found in Britain.
©Catherine Newbiggin
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Bat
Nyctalus
Bats are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Hainault Forest provides a home for many bat species including the rare Barbastelle recorded by static detectors in the Old Farm Buildings during 2017, the first recorded in London since the 1950s. The Barbastelle Bat lives in crevices of old trees in mature forests with roosts found in only a handful of locations. Bats are in decline due to extensive loss of deciduous woodland and fragmentation of natural habitats associated with development. They can be infected with rabies bat lyssavirus.
This picture shows a large bat with wingspan of over 30cm flying just before noon at the back of Hainault Lake. It is more likely to be Noctule than Leisler's although they look similar in flight.
Grass Snake
Natrix helvetica
Grass Snakes have a yellow neck collar (although this may be missing on elderly females) and a body of dark green or brown. The underside is whitish with irregular blocks of black. They grow up to one metre long or occasionally a bit longer which makes them Britain's largest snake species. When cornered they hiss and if that fails to scare an intruder away they may pretend to be dead. When handled evil-smelling fluid is released from anal glands and stomach contents are regurgitated as a defence mechanism. Young hatch from eggs; the temperature must be at least 21 degrees C. for successful hatchings. Hibernation occurs from October to February under logs, in leaf litter and compost heaps. Grass Snakes have a special liking for wetland habitats where they are often found basking or swimming. They are strong swimmers and enter water to hunt amphibians and fish.
Snakes regularly moult their skins by rubbing against rough surfaces resulting in the whole outer layer of epidermis being discarded. An intact moult can be double the length of the actual snake it came from due to the way it is wrapped around body scales. The multilayered skin needs to be tough because snakes have no limbs to raise their bodies from the ground and it has to cope with abrasive surfaces as they slither along.
Also known as the Barred Grass Snake.
A snail carries its home on its back in the form of a spiraled shell made primarily of calcium carbonate throughout its life, and it does not have a backbone. This shell protects the soft, elongated, moist, and slimy body of the snail. Shells can differ in color, shape, and size, and may be speckled or banded. When threatened, snails can retreat fully into their shells.
Do you know? All molluscs share a common ancestor that crawled across rocks in shallow water more than 600 million of years ago.
Do you know? A snail can crawl over sharp razor blades without getting cut because of the protective slimy mucus.
Brindled Twist
Ptycholoma lecheana
Found in wooded areas and orchards during May and June. In the afternoon and evening it flies rapidly and erratically over trees and bushes. The larvae feed on apple, pear and hawthorn. Also known as Brindled Tortrix.
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