Hello there, our WEX group met again recently and the theme for June was 'Bugs.' Freddie was there and has written his latest report for you to read. Simon, Freddie's dad, was in charge of the photos. Thanks go to both of you and great job as per usual Freddie!
This time at WEX we did a bug hunt. We were meant to be having a visit from the Bug Lady but unfortunately it was cancelled so we decided to find our own bugs out on the reserve.
We started looking for bugs in the area around the garden shed and the herb garden. Some of the creatures we found there were: ladybirds, ladybird larvae, hoverflies, soldier beetles, aphids, orange-bottomed and white-bottomed bumble bees.
Then we went on to the meadows by the kingfisher pond where we found quite different creatures including common and blue-tailed damsel flies, horse flies, swollen-thighed beetle, wolf spiders, alder beetles, a frog, and later on as the sun came out, several common blue butterflies – male and female – and even an ichneumon wasp! John explained that the ichneumon wasp lays its eggs in a host which is usually a caterpillar or grub, then, when they hatch, they eat the caterpillar or grub so they are doing a useful job in controlling the amount of insect pests!
I found it very interesting that different insects live in different parts of the reserve, like the dragonflies lived in the long grass and the ichneumon wasp lived in the marshy grass near the ponds. They are all adapted to live in different habitats. I love insects and really enjoyed finding out more about them. I never knew that so many insects lived in the small area of the reserve we were searching in!
A snacking Soldier Beetle (Dad photo)
A ladybird larvae sitting on a nettle leaf.
A swollen-thighed beetle. (Also known as a false oil beetle.)
A blue-tailed damselfly on bird’s foot trefoil.
Two alder beetles munching some alder leaves.
A beautiful Common Blue Butterfly fanning its wings.
Mullein moth caterpillars scoffing mullein leaves.
Thanks again Freddie and we'll look forward to your blog in July!
Well done Freddie and Freddie’s dad!
Its amazing what a bit of sunshine brings out. We’re just on our way back from a week in Mull, a brilliant place for wildlife, and we saw all sorts of butterfly, particularly painted ladies & red admirals & common blues. The star find was a Massive golden-ringed dragonfly.
Im looking forward to seeing what’s out and about at OM when we get back and how it’s changed.