This week is Insect Week, run by the Royal Entomological Society to celebrate 'all things insect'. There are over 24,000 insect species in the UK, many of which live in our gardens. Although traditionally gardeners have maybe seen insects more as pests, the Royal Horticultural Society estimates that in fact fewer than 1% of Britain's insects are garden pests, and that many, many more have positive benefits within your garden.
Insects are undoubtedly very helpful to us - many help with pollination of plants so that they can create fruits for us to eat, and make seeds to grow more plants. A major way you can help insects with in your garden is by growing plants that will attract pollinating insects. These should include plants that flower during different seasons, helping insects through as many months of the year as possible.
Another way you could help insects in your garden this Insect Week is by building a minibeast hotel. A well built shelter can attract a huge range of insects, including Solitary Bees, Bumblebees, Ladybirds and Woodlice. You might even be lucky enough to have a Hedgehog or Toad visit a larger construction! A simpler but just as effective way of welcoming insects into your garden is by leaving a patch of grass to grow long over the summer months - on a warm day it will be humming and buzzing with the sounds of insects enjoying the food and shelter it provides.
At Flatford Wildlife Garden, some of the most striking insects at present are the dragonflies and damselflies. They have recently emerged as adults after spending around 2 years in the pond in their larval stage. During this larval stage, they will have moulted between 5-14 times, before being ready for their final larval moult. This final moult takes place out of water, with the larva climbing up the vegetation to find somewhere suitable to emerge. They push their thorax, head, legs and wings out of the larval skin, then pause for their legs and wings to harden up before taking their first flight (which is understandably somewhat weak and usually only lasts a few metres!)
Banded demoiselle Calopteryx splendens, adult male
Verity Hill (rspb-images.com)
It's great to sit by the pond at Flatford Wildlife Garden at this time of year and watch these magnificent insects. Damselflies observed around our pond include Azure Damselfly, Large Red Damselfly and Banded Demoiselle. Banded Demoiselle are unusual amongst UK damselflies in having coloured wings - male Banded Demoiselles are metallic blue, with broad, dark blue patches on each wing, whilst females are metallic green with pale greenish wings. Amongst the larger dragonflies, our pond has Four Spotted Chasers and Southern Hawkers. Hawkers are the largest and fastest flying dragonflies. They fly fast to catch their insect-prey mid-air and can hover or fly backwards! The Southern Hawker is a very inquisitive dragonfly and males will often fly towards the observer, hovering nearby to have a closer look.
As we start to look ahead to the summer holidays here at Flatford Wildlife Garden, insects will be taking centre stage in the first week. From Saturday 20th July, children will be able to celebrate Brilliant Beetles at the garden. They can follow a trail to learn about the beetles that live at Flatford. Then they'll be able to go into the Visitor Centre to make a Ladybird plant pot friend or finger puppet. The price will be £2 per child and the events will run for a week, before a new theme will take over.
And on August 6th, there's a chance to find out about another amazing order of insects - the butterflies and moths - before the garden opens to the public. Two experts will be identifying the moths, which will be put in pots for everyone to see. At the end of the event the moths will be released back into the garden. A pastry continental breakfast will be available. Children will be able to make a butterfly mobile to take home and a collage butterfly made with natural items. Bookings can be made here.
We look forward to seeing you at Flatford Wildlife Garden to celebrate our wonderful insects this summer! The garden is open every day from 10:30-4:30.