With warmer weather on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to learn more about the interesting insects we’ll soon be seeing more of! RSPB Scotland’s Jen Mullen shares some brilliant bug facts.
Brilliant bugs!
There are over 13,000 species recorded on RSPB reserves and more than half of those species are insects! Insects are vitally important as they keep our ecosystem balanced. They eat pests that damage crops; they pollinate flowers; they can help breakdown organic waste, and they are a valuable food source for many other animals. Without insects, we would have a weaker, less resilient environment which could have a catastrophic impact on human life.
There are over 250 species of bee in the UK and the Scottish Highlands is home to a very tiny and rare one - the small scabious mining bee. This tiny bee is only 7mm in length and is found in only a small number of sites in the Highlands (within the Cairngorms National Park). It is considered to be a threatened species in Europe and it relies entirely on the plant ‘devil’s bit scabious’ for its source of pollen. We are involved with The Rare Invertebrates in the Cairngorms project which is helping to save this wee bee, along with five other endangered invertebrates in the north of Scotland.
Butterflies taste with their feet! They use taste sensors on their feet to check what plants are suitable to lay their eggs on. That way, they know their caterpillars will be able to eat the plants. The Chequered skipper is a small, fast-flying butterfly with beautiful yellow markings on the wing. It was once found throughout the UK but is now restricted to a small area of western Scotland, although re-establishment trials have been taking place in England. The butterfly breeds on open damp grassland which is dominated by Purple moor-grass, the main foodplant for its caterpillar. This rare butterfly is often spotted on RSPB Scotland’s Glenborrodale Nature Reserve. Find out more about butterflies here.
Chequered skipper. Credit: Ben Andrew
Coul Links is home to lots of rare plants and insects This includes the Fonseca’s seed fly which is only found in this part of North Scotland. It exists nowhere else in the world! This rare and unique habitat is under threat from a proposed golf course development. Find out more about it and how you can help here.
Not all moths can fly
Some moths, like the Belted beauty female moth, have little or no wings. Belted beauty moths are scarce in the UK but they are present on almost all of the islands in the Outer Hebrides. The females are flightless and look like little bees. Females crawl up high vegetation or fence posts to try and attract males. Nobody knows how females managed to colonise all of these isolated islands in the Outer Hebrides. They appear quite early on in the year, with males on the wing from March. RSPB Scotland Balranald Nature Reserve on North Uist is an excellent place to see this rare species. The female of the Rannoch Brindled Beauty moth is another one that is flightless. A good place to spot both males and females is on RSPB Scotland Corrimony Nature Reserve.
Belted beauty
RSPB Scotland’s Insh Marshes reserve is home to one of the UK’s rarest hoverflies
Scotland has the entire population of Aspen hoverfly. It is found in only a few sites in the Highlands, one of them being the Aspen woodland at RSPB Scotland Insh Marshes Nature Reserve. It relies on decaying Aspen wood to survive. Its larvae live under the bark of rotting, fallen Aspen trees and feed on micro-organisms in the decaying sap.
Aspen Hoverfly. Credit: Jane Sears
There is a moth that is often mistaken for a hummingbird
The hummingbird hawkmoth hovers while probing flowers for nectar with its long proboscis – just like a hummingbird! Its wings beat so fast that they make an audible hum. They migrate to southern Europe in autumn but they return in spring so keep your eyes peeled over the next few months!
There are lots of cool things to find if you go on a bug safari in your garden. Find out what you need in order to do your own bug safari here. Let us know your cool bug facts in the comments below!