Insects: Advanced

Death's-head hawkmoth

The death's-head hawkmoth is a large moth with a skull-like marking on its back. It flies from Africa to Europe.

💡 Did you know? It raids beehives to steal honey: a 'squeak' is thought to calm the bees.

Hummingbird hawk-moth

The hummingbird hawk-moth hovers by day like a tiny hummingbird, sipping nectar in flight with a long proboscis. It is a migrant.

💡 Did you know? Because of its hovering flight it is often mistaken for a real hummingbird.

Swallowtail

The swallowtail is one of the most striking native butterflies, with 'tails' on its hindwings. Its caterpillars live on umbellifers like carrot and fennel.

💡 Did you know? When threatened the caterpillar everts an orange, foul-smelling 'osmeterium' behind its head.

Purple emperor

In the purple emperor the males' wings shimmer blue-violet depending on the light. It lives in woodlands around willows and poplars.

💡 Did you know? Rather than flowers it prefers dung, carrion or damp ground to take up minerals.

Mourning cloak

The Camberwell beauty is a dark butterfly with a cream border. It overwinters as an adult and so appears very early in the year.

💡 Did you know? It can live for several months: unusually long for a butterfly.

Common blue

The common blue is one of the most frequent small blues. The males shine blue, the females are mostly brownish.

💡 Did you know? Its caterpillars often live in close company with ants, which protect them.

Scorpionfly

In the male scorpionfly the rear end curves up like a scorpion's: but it is quite harmless. It feeds mainly on dead insects.

💡 Did you know? The male often offers a 'nuptial gift' of food to court the female.

Mayfly

As adults, mayflies live very briefly: sometimes only a day. Their larvae, by contrast, grow in water for years.

💡 Did you know? They are the only insects that moult once more after they already have working wings.

Caddisfly

Caddisflies look like small moths. Their larvae build a protective 'case' underwater from grains of sand or bits of plant.

💡 Did you know? They are seen as indicators of clean water: where they live, the water is usually healthy.

Water strider

The water strider skims across the surface of ponds and streams without sinking. It preys on insects that fall into the water.

💡 Did you know? Fine, water-repellent hairs on its legs let it 'stand' on the surface tension.

Great diving beetle

The great diving beetle is a large, predatory water beetle with a yellow rim. It hunts tadpoles, insects and even small fish.

💡 Did you know? To breathe it carries a bubble of air under its wing cases down to the bottom.

Tiger beetle

The green tiger beetle is a swift, metallic-green hunter on sunny sandy paths. It runs and flies extremely fast.

💡 Did you know? Relative to its body size it is one of the fastest runners in the insect world.

Rhinoceros beetle

The male rhinoceros beetle bears an upward-curving 'horn'. The plump larvae develop in rotting wood or compost heaps.

💡 Did you know? Relative to its weight it is one of the strongest animals in the world.

Rose chafer

The rose chafer gleams metallic green and likes to sit on flowers, eating pollen. Its larvae live in compost and rotting wood.

💡 Did you know? It flies without opening its wing cases: the wings emerge from the sides.

Musk beetle

The musk beetle is a long, metallic green-gold longhorn beetle with very long antennae. It lives on old willows.

💡 Did you know? When threatened it gives off a musky scent: hence its name.

Oil beetle

The black oil beetle is bulky, glossy and flightless. When threatened it exudes a toxic, yellowish oil from its joints.

💡 Did you know? Its larvae cling to wild bees and are carried into their nests.

European hornet

The hornet is the largest native wasp, but far more peaceful than its reputation. It hunts other insects and is legally protected.

💡 Did you know? Despite its size, its sting is no more dangerous than that of an ordinary wasp.

Violet carpenter bee

The violet carpenter bee is a large, dark, shimmering wild bee. It gnaws its nesting tunnels into rotting wood.

💡 Did you know? As one of Europe's largest bees, it hums especially loudly in flight.

Aphid

Aphids suck plant sap and multiply at a tremendous rate. Large colonies can seriously weaken plants.

💡 Did you know? Ants 'milk' aphids and defend them to get at their sweet honeydew.

Cicada

Cicadas produce their loud chirping on hot days. In southern Europe their song is part of summer.

💡 Did you know? Some cicada species live for many years as larvae underground before emerging all at once.

Mole cricket

The mole cricket digs tunnels with its powerful forelegs, much like a mole. It spends almost its whole life underground.

💡 Did you know? Its burrows act like a funnel, amplifying its purring song.

Water scorpion

The water scorpion is a predatory water bug whose grasping forelegs recall a scorpion. It lurks motionless in the mud.

💡 Did you know? Its 'tail' is not a sting but a breathing tube for taking air from the surface.