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Louise Moss
One of our volunteers, Yvonne, is fascinated by invertebrates. She has been completing an insect survey and wanted to tell you all about it. 
As an insect enthusiast, I am helping record what is found at Rainham Marshes, and recently Rainham's Warden Jamie gave me permission (thanks Jamie) to put down some mats (squares of pond liner) to help find ground-dwelling creatures. The insects like to hide under them, as it is safe and a bit warmer here. The reptiles also like to do this, but they are not what I am seeking (in fact they might eat my bugs).

I checked them last Friday, 5th April, and found some good stuff. Under mats in the wood loop, I found a colony of knobbed shieldbugs (Podops inuncta, about 4mm long), which have forward-pointing knobs on their “shoulders”.  Howard and I have both found single specimens before, but they are ground-dwellers which really like the mats and this is obviously the best way to find them. 
Knobbed shieldbug
Here you can see the knobs on the 'shoulders'.
I also found some really colourful beetles, Badister species (no common name, 5-6 mm long), here.

I put some mats in grass along a section of the reserve not open to the public - I found a colony of knobbed shieldbugs (I think they are going to be really common at Rainham Marshes).  There were also some tiny planthoppers, including one (Eurybregma nigrolineata, no common name, 2-3 mm long) that looks like a stripey mint with legs.
 Eurybregma nigrolineata
There was a bombardier beetle (Brachinus crepitans), a 24 spot ladybird, a lacebug, and especially exciting, an inconspicuous ladybird, Nephus redtenbacheri (2 mm long, no common name).  The “inconspics” are rarely recorded as they are so small and seldom seen unless searched for.
 The bombardier beetle
The inconspicuous ladybird, Nephus redtenbacheri

I especially love shieldbugs and ladybirds, so I was delighted with these finds. I have not seen N. redtenbacheri before, so it is a life tick for me, as well as for Rainham Marshes.  There is another ground-dwelling shieldbug, the bordered shieldbug, which I know lives in the wood loop among cleavers, so I am hoping the mats will show these soon.

I am going to continue putting the mats out to see if I can find new insects (as long as I have permission), including in Rainham West, the paths either side of the landfill, and on the foreshore. If you see them, I have no problem with you having a look under one or two (I know I would find them hard to resist), but please put them back carefully, as the creatures hiding under them don’t like to be disturbed.
Thank you, and I hope you enjoyed the blog!