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Ammophila, Sand wasp and preyA sand wasp dragging her prey, an oversized caterpillar, over the ground and back to her burrow
Pseudorhyssa sp. ichneumon fly femaleA female ichneumon fly laying eggs on the parasite of a wood wasp grub
Musca autumnalis, face flyThe face fly is a non-biting fly but is still a troublesome pest of cattle, as it feeds on secretions from the animals eyes and nose
Sawfly larvae devouring a leafA group of sawfly larvae devouring a leaf as featured on page 71 of Megabugs by Miranda MacQuitty; Natural History Museum publication, 1995
LadybirdA waterlogged ladybird on the edge of a leaf, unable to move until droplet dries
Panorpa communis, scorpion flyA male scorpion fly devouring a dead insect, which they often steal from spiders webs in hedgreows and nettlebeds. Their name comes from the shape of the males tail, which resembles a scorpions
Melolontha melolontha, mating cockchafer beetlesThe cockchafer has a black thorax, rusty brown elytra or wing cases, and brown legs. It also has characteristic antennae which fan out
Nematus ribesii, gooseberry sawfly larvaeThese caterpillars feed voraciously on gooseberry leaves, red and white currant leaves. They display distinct black spots on their green bodies and can have up to three generations within one year
Honeybee visiting a flowerA working honeybee visiting a flower and collecting pollen
Acrididae, grasshopperA young grasshopper feeding on a leaf blade. There are eleven native species of grasshopper in Britain, which vary in size from 20 to 30mms
Antheraea sp. Emperor moth caterpillarsCaterpillars of the Emperor moth. Painting by Pieter de Bevere from the Loten Collection dated (1754-57) held at the Natural History Museum, London
Parahelops darwinii, beetleBeetle collected by Charles Darwin during his stop at Valparaiso, Chile, 1835 on one of his voyages
Staphylinus olens, devils coach horse beetleA devils coach horse beetle from Europe. This beetle, when alarmed raises its abdomen and opens its jaws
Calliphora vomitoria, bluebottle laying eggs on carrionBluebottles or blow flies lay eggs and feed on rotten meat. Upon emerging from the pupa, adult female blowflies are capable of mating and laying eggs in under 5 days
Dytiscus marginalis, the underside of a great diving beetleGreat diving beetles are aquatic insects, and are found in pond and lake habitats. They can grow up to 30mm in length
Limacodidae, nettle caterpillar from BelizeA brightly coloured nettle caterpillar from the family Limacodidae. Specimen photographed in Belize
Stink bug glandA close-up of the gland located on the thorax of the stink bug, from which they produce a pungent odour to deter enemies
Volucella sp. hover-flyPhotograph of a hover-fly (Volucella sp.) on a flower
Ammophila sp. sand waspPage 114 of Megabugs (1995) by Miranda MacQuitty. A sand wasp with her caterpillar prey
Apis sp. honeybee visiting a flowerA honeybee collecting nectar and pollen whilst visiting a garden flower
Adult gall waspGall wasps are dark-coloured tiny insects only a few millimetres long. Most gall wasps form galls which are abnormal growths on a plant or tree which develop as a result of the attack
Ixias reinwardtiPhotograph of a mounted specimen of the butterfly (Ixias reinwardti)
Ammophila sabulosa, sand wasp and preyA sand wasp dragging her prey back towards her burrow. They stock their nests with the caterpillars, depositing a paralysed caterpillar in each nest and then seals it with sand
Corixa sp. water boatmanA water boatman has fringed back legs for swimming. This kind feeds on plant material and does not swim upside down
Lithobius sp. centipedeCentipedes are reddish-brown, flattened, elongated arthropods. The first pair of legs on a centipede are modified into poisonous fangs which are located below the mouth
Cynipidae, adult gall waspsAdult gall wasps inspecting an oak gall in which the parasitic wasps lay their eggs
Raphidia sp. snakeflySnakeflies are so called because of their ability to raise their long necks above the rest of their body. They grow to approximately 20mms long and feed on small insects such as aphids
Grub of a house long-horn beetleThe grub of a house long-horn beetle boring into and feeding on wood. Infestations of the larvae can cause great damage to household furniture
Melolontha melolontha, mating cockchafersA pair of mating cockchafer beetles. Note the difference in size between the male and female
Appias nero, orange albatross butterflyPhotograph of a mounted specimen of an orange albatross butterfly collected by Wallace from Sarawak, Borneo
Rhyssa wasp pupaA pupa transforming into a female rhyssa wasp within burrow inside a piece wood
Morellia simplex, sweat flyThe sweat fly or syrphid fly looks like a very small bee and can be seen hovering around flowers. Specimen for the collections of the Natural History Museum
Formica rufa, wood antsWood ants massing outside their nest to absorb heat from the spring sunshine
Bombus sp. bumblebee visiting a flowerA bumblebee visiting an attractive garden flower, collecting nectar and adding pollen to the pollen sac shown here on its hind leg
A female parasitic wasp inspecting an oak apple which she will pierce with her ovipositor to lay her eggs
Adult gall waspsGall wasps are dark-coloured tiny insects only a few millimetres long. Most gall wasps form galls which are abnormal growths on a plant or tree which develop as a result of the attack
A looper caterpillar looking like a twigA looper caterpillar mimicking a twig for camouflage. The caterpillar is so-called because of the arching movement of its body as it travels
Hypolimnas misippus, diadem butterflyPhotograph of a diadem butterfly (Hypolimnas misippus) collected from the South American and Old World Tropics
Ptinus tectus, spider beetleScanning electron microscope image of a spider beetle (x 9). The long antennae, hairy body and waist-like constriction give this beetle the appearance of a spider
Corixa, water boatmanA water boatman has fringed back legs for swimming. This kind feeds on plant material and does not swim upside down
Adalia bipunctata variant, two spot ladybirdA waterlogged two spot ladybird variant, unable to move until water droplets on the elytra dry
Acronicta aceris, sycamore moth caterpillarThe brightly coloured caterpillars of the sycamore moths are found in southern England and feed on the leaves of the sycamore tree, as well as other deciduous trees
Pyrrhosoma nymphula, large red damselflyA close-up of a large red damselfly perched on a leaf. This species of damselfly is among the first to be seen each Spring
Dytiscus marginalis, great diving beetleGreat diving beetles are aquatic and are found in pond and lake habitats. They can grow up to 30mm in length
Coccinella 7-punctata, ladybirdA familiar seven spot ladybird feeding on an aphid. Ladybirds are a beneficial insect to gardeners as they feed on aphids both as an adult and as larva
Oak apple gallsGalls growing on the tips of two oak twigs
Phaodropus candidus, South American weevilA South American weevil. Weevils are long-snouted beetles and form the largest family in the animal world