Hi bloggers! Hope you are all well?
The last time I wrote something for you, I highlighted a few of the lovely pine forest plants that we have in bloom. This week I am going to attempt to identify some of the interesting insects that have been popping up. Entomology (the study of insects) has never been my strong point however, with so many to choose from I find it hard to pin point exactly what I am seeing. But, the more I have read about insects over the past week, the more I have realised that my inability to say exactly what a particular insect is, is completely acceptable. Insects are the most diverse group of animals on the planet, representing more than half of the world's living organisms- there are literally millions of them! One out of every four animals on earth is a beetle! So, it is no wonder I get a bit of a headache trying to figure them out. Even working out which family or group of insects a creepy crawly belongs to can be fascinating journey however...
Millipedes
"A backward C for Chris" ...by Chris Tilbury.
Although not strictly an insect, we found this millipede on the path up to the Osprey Centre. My inexperienced guess would be the striped millipede which is apparent throughout Britain and can be found in a variety of habitats, from meadows to the leaf litter of oak and pine woodlands. Millipedes have defence glands situated on each of the segments that make up their body. These glands secrete a range of chemicals that deter their enemies. Millipedes are very important to ecosystem processes such as decomposition and nutrient recycling. Go millipedes, woo!
Weevils
Weevils are part of the largest family in the animal world, beetles. Another name for a weevil is 'snout beetle'. This is because of their apparent 'snout' which is a prolongation of the head and known scientifically as a rostrum. Whilst on one of my kiosk shifts last week, I was joined by the cheeky little weevil featured below...I believe it is a large pine weevil.
Showing off his rostrum by Alice Hadley.
This family includes bark beetles and although I haven't yet seen one, their presence is all to apparent. Bark beetles live on deciduous or coniferous trees and instead of the flashy rostrum that weevils have, they instead have a hood like shield that covers their thorax (their middle). This hood like shield helps them to tunnel through bark, where the females lay their eggs. This tunneling creates amazingly artistic patterns in the bark of trees, which is a dead give away that bark beetles are at large!
Bark beetle art in the Abernethy Forest by Alice Hadley.
Longhorn beetles
These beetles have antennae that are always at least two thirds as long as their body and some species even have antennae that are four times as long! They use their long antennae to seek out suitable nesting sites and mates.
A longhorn beetle by Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
These beautiful beetles have been known to emerge from furniture having been hidden in the wood as developing larvae (young). The larvae then use their powerful jaws to eat through the wood which creates tunnels with a circular cross section. The larvae of longhorn beetles eat wood and as wood is of such a low nutritional value, they have to eat a lot of it before they gain enough strength to pupate and become adult longhorn beetles. This means that they can spend between one to three years of their life as larvae!
Ground beetles
These beetles are active hunters with long, slender legs and powerful jaws. Most species of ground beetle are nocturnal and their larvae live in soil. Ground beetle larvae use enzymes to digest their prey and suck in the resulting liquid. Ewwww, gross! Some species give of foul tasting chemicals to deter predators and some can even produce highly toxic chemicals!
A beautiful beast by Alice Hadley
I think this is a violet ground beetle. Even though it is incredibly beautiful in its appearance, don't let it fool you! Violet ground beetles are very fast runners and feast upon a whole range of smaller insects...they will even eat worms and slugs!
Ladybirds
Identity crisis- who am I? by Alice Hadley.
Here's another kiosk poser who is actually a member of the beetle family. I am struggling to identify this one however, so would be grateful if someone could solve the mystery. Suggestions are very welcome!
These attractive little beetles are most strange. When under attack they bleed from the knees! This is a reflex that produces toxic body fluids in order to deter predators. Stranger still, it is thought that ladybirds lay both fertile and infertile eggs. There is logic behind the madness however, as the infertile eggs provide a readily available food source for the freshly hatched ladybird larvae. Ladybirds will lay more infertile eggs when times are tough so that their young have a better chance of survival.
Ladybirds are highly predacious on soft bodied insects and can munch through a whopping 5,000 aphids during their lifetime! How greedy?
Froghoppers
All my life I have called the substance that gets stuck to my knees as I walk through the tall summer grass 'cuckoo spit', never questioning why it is called that, or if indeed it is the spit of a cuckoo. This frothy excrement is actually produced by the nymphs (young) of an insect known as 'froghopper'. Froghopper nymphs feed on the sap of plant roots, then fart it out to produce this spit like substance. They do this in order to reduce evapouration and provide themselves with protection from predators...after all, who would want to munch through the farts of a hundred nymphs? The substance has become known to us as 'cuckoo spit' due to the coinciding dates of its appearance with the arrival of the cuckoo.
Does something smell? Cuckoo spit by Alice Hadley.
These are just a selection of the many insects on offer at the moment, and I haven't even touched upon midgies! If you'd like to find out more about midgies and what makes them tick, read Sarah's amazing blog here. Additionally, some of our most interesting forest inhabitants are wood ants, which you can read more about from Ellie's wonderful insight here. And finally, on a walk up to the Centre, you'll be greeted by bumblee bees, butterflies and both dragon and damsleflies.
Thanks for reading, I look forward to your suggestions.
Alice!