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  • This butterfly was photographed in Ballynafagh Lake in August 2014. The ‘Common Blue’ butterfly is the most common of the Blues found in Ireland. It has a wingspan of 29 – 35mm and it is tightly tied to dense stands of its food plants i.e., the Bird's Foot Trefoil and the Common Restharrow. The male is a very attractive shiny blue, whereas the female is mainly brown with her underside being very decorative, with orange crescents and black spots. The colour of the upperwings of females varies from almost completely brown in southern England to predominantly blue in the west of Ireland, but the colour is variable within local populations with some striking examples. With experience and a good eye most individuals can be found usually resting on dried grass stems, facing down and with the wings closed but one side facing towards the sun to absorb as much heat as possible before the sun finally sets. The males fly around their host plants in order to find females. The green caterpillars (10mm in length) are quite flattened in appearance with a shiny black head, secrete nutrient-containing substances that attract ants and in turn, the ants protect the caterpillars from predators.
    Common Blue Butterfly-1.jpg
  • The Ladybird is a small colourful beetle that is found all around the world. There are thought to be more than 5,000 different species of ladybird in the world, with more than 450 species found in North America alone. It is best known for it's spotted body, normally red and black, but orange and yellow ladybirds are often found. Ladybirds are fearsome predators within their environment and are known as gardener's friends as they munch all of the tiny pests that eat the plants i.e. aphids, greenfly, plant lice and other small insects. It is thought that a single ladybird can eat more than 5,000 aphids in just one year. Ladybirds will hibernate in large groups in sites that are used year after year, and they are thought to hibernate in this communal fashion in order to increase their chances of surviving the cold winter. It is thought that pheromones are released by hibernating ladybirds and these pheromones attract other ladybirds to hibernate in the same place. The female ladybird can lay more than 2,000 eggs in one year that hatch in just a few days. Due to climate changes and habitat loss, the ladybird is now considered to be one of the animal species that is threatened with extinction. It has been noted that ladybirds are particularly sensitive to temperature and will die from dehydration if it is much hotter than it should be. It is thought to be good luck to find that a ladybird has landed on you, and most definitely bad luck if you then squash it!
    Ladybird.jpg
  • Adult Darters can be seen on the wing all year round in southern Europe but in northern regions they occur from June to November. This small Dragonfly is seen in a wide variety of habitats, including lakes, ponds, canals and slow-flowing rivers. They are ambush predators, waiting on a prominent perch - such as a leaf or the top of a gate, until prey fly past, whereupon they will fly after it. They are territorial on breeding waters, often attempting to chase much bigger Dragonflies away. This habit of repeatedly returning to a sunny spot allows you to easily predict where they are going to land, which is why it is one of the easiest dragonflies to photograph. In suitable hunting areas away from water, however, they are not territorial: large numbers may assemble - groups of several hundred in a single field have been recorded - and lines of insects can be seen along the top of field gates. Eggs are not laid, but broadcast from the air, the male holds the female in tandem and swings her down and forward over water at a height of around 40 cm. At the furthest point of the arc the female releases some of her eggs to fall on the water.
    Common Darter Dragonfly-4.jpg
  • Forest bugs (15mm in length), also known as Red-legged Shield Bugs, can be distinguished from other Shield Bugs by their square shoulders because they look like they are wearing American football player padding. Their bodies are a dark bronze-brown colour with orange legs and antennae. The antennae are about the same length as the body. The forest bug's main food source is any of several species of oak, alder, hazel and other deciduous trees, including apple and cherry. As it is a sap-feeder, it uses it’s piercing mouthparts to withdraw the liquid. The forest bug is also an agricultural and garden pest, as it will not hesitate to feed on fruit and nut trees. Adults lay eggs during the summer in the cracks of tree bark, and the larvae hatch the following spring. Adults are partly predatory, feeding on caterpillars and other insects. This species overwinters as a nymph, the adults are present from July to November and the eggs are laid in August. The adults live for one year.
    Brown Shield Bug-1.jpg
  • Despite its name, the Small Heath butterfly is not confined to heathland and can be found in a wide variety of habitats. This charming little butterfly always settles with its wings closed, where the eyespot on the underside of the forewing is usually visible, acting as a decoy to any predator. The forewings are tucked behind the hind wings when roosting for long periods, or in dull weather. Males set up territories where they can be found perching, although they also spend time patrolling in search of a mate. When a male encounters another, the pair fly a few meters up into the air before separating. Females will also zigzag over the vegetation in search of a mate. Mating may happen at any time of day and a mating pair may remain coupled from as little as 10 minutes up to 5 hours. Mated females tend to avoid male territories, flying over sparse grassland where they lay their eggs. Both sexes feed on a variety of nectar sources.
    Small Heath Butterfly-1.jpg
  • The great diving beetle, is a large aquatic diving beetle native to Europe and northern Asia, and is particularly common in the UK & Ireland. The great diving beetle, true to its name, is a rather sizable insect. The larvae can grow up to 60 millimeters (2.4 in) in length, while the adults are generally between 27–35 millimeters (1.1–1.4 in). These beetles live in fresh water, either still or slow running, and seem to prefer water with vegetation. They are dark-coloured (brown to black) on their back and wing cases (elytra) and yellow on their abdomen and legs. The male's wing cases are shiny, while those of the female are finely grooved. A voracious predator, this beetle hunts a wide variety of prey including small fish & tadpoles.<br />
They are able fliers, and fly usually at night. They use the reflection of moonlight to locate new water sources. This location method can sometimes cause them to land on wet roads or other hard wet surfaces. Before they dive, they collect air bubbles in their wing cases. The jaws of a great diving beetle are strong compared to their body size & if you see one, don't pick it up because it will bite you.
    Great Diving Beetle-1.jpg
  • Adult Darters can be seen on the wing all year round in southern Europe but in northern regions they occur from June to November. This small Dragonfly is seen in a wide variety of habitats, including lakes, ponds, canals and slow-flowing rivers. They are ambush predators, waiting on a prominent perch - such as a leaf or the top of a gate, until prey fly past, whereupon they will fly after it. They are territorial on breeding waters, often attempting to chase much bigger Dragonflies away. This habit of repeatedly returning to a sunny spot allows you to easily predict where they are going to land, which is why it is one of the easiest dragonflies to photograph. In suitable hunting areas away from water, however, they are not territorial: large numbers may assemble - groups of several hundred in a single field have been recorded - and lines of insects can be seen along the top of field gates. Eggs are not laid, but broadcast from the air, the male holds the female in tandem and swings her down and forward over water at a height of around 40 cm. At the furthest point of the arc the female releases some of her eggs to fall on the water.
    Common Darter Dragonfly-3.jpg
  • Adult Darters can be seen on the wing all year round in southern Europe but in northern regions they occur from June to November. This small Dragonfly is seen in a wide variety of habitats, including lakes, ponds, canals and slow-flowing rivers. They are ambush predators, waiting on a prominent perch - such as a leaf or the top of a gate, until prey fly past, whereupon they will fly after it. They are territorial on breeding waters, often attempting to chase much bigger Dragonflies away. This habit of repeatedly returning to a sunny spot allows you to easily predict where they are going to land, which is why it is one of the easiest dragonflies to photograph. In suitable hunting areas away from water, however, they are not territorial: large numbers may assemble - groups of several hundred in a single field have been recorded - and lines of insects can be seen along the top of field gates. Eggs are not laid, but broadcast from the air, the male holds the female in tandem and swings her down and forward over water at a height of around 40 cm. At the furthest point of the arc the female releases some of her eggs to fall on the water.
    Common Darter Dragonfly-2.jpg
  • The earliest fossil dragonflies date back 300 million years and although some in the past were monsters, their overall shape has changed little since those early days. Although today’s dragonflies can reach wingspans of over 10cms, some of their fossil relatives were more than seven times this size, long before dinosaurs ruled the Earth. Today there are approximately 6,000 named dragonfly species in the world and 55 of these live in Britain and Ireland. Some interesting facts about Dragonflies: Each dragonfly wing can be operated separately. A flexible joint on the leading edge of each wing allows the insect to twist more strongly as it turns. They are able to fly at more than 20 miles per hour and can fly backwards. Adult dragonflies have virtually 360 degree vision, with only the area directly behind the head, where the wings and body naturally interrupt the image, being unseen. They live for two to three years under the water and for two to six months above the water. They are voracious predators. They feed on other insect larvae, worms, leeches and even small tadpoles and fish. Up to 90% of young dragonflies are eaten by birds, frogs and other small mammals.
    Brown Hawker Dragonfly.jpg
  • Green Orb-Weaver Spiders (5-7mm in length), as the name suggests, have a bright green abdomen and a yellow or reddish coloured head. Just above the spinners (the tail end) they have a bright red spot. This is more obvious on young spiders and can only be seen from underneath the spider. Freshly hatched spiderlings are red, and change to brown before the autumn. Despite their almost fluorescent colour the Green Orb-Weavers can remain very well camouflaged amongst vegetation. It's only when they stray from their normal habitat they get noticed. Green orb-weavers are a common native species found throughout the UK and northern Europe.
    Green Orb-Weaver Spider.jpg
  • Members of this family of spiders (12-15mm long) are active hunters with good vision. The nursery-web spider hunts amongst low vegetation as well as on the ground. When detecting prey, they characteristically rest on vegetation with the first two pairs of legs together, held out at an angle. During courtship, the male nursery-web spider presents the female with a ‘nuptial gift’ in the form of an insect wrapped in silk. Until recently, this gift was thought to protect the male from becoming the female’s next meal. Research has shown, however, that the gift entices the female to mate, and what’s more, the size of the gift is related to how long the female will mate with a male. The larger the gift, the longer copulation will last so more eggs will be fertilized by more ‘generous’ males bringing larger gifts. Female spiders belonging to this family produce very large egg sacs, which they carry around beneath their body. When the time for the spiderlings to emerge approaches, the female deposits the egg sac on a leaf and spins a protective silk ‘nursery web’ around it. She then opens the egg sac slightly, and stands guard until the spiderlings emerge. These spiders are large, brown and hairy and are often confused with the Wolf Spider. Unlike the wolf spiders, which have two very prominent eyes in addition to the other six, the eyes of the nursery web spiders are more or less the same size. Many species are able to walk on the surface of still bodies of water, and may even dive beneath the surface for a time to escape enemies. These spiders are venomous & can bite but they are not dangerous. There bite is similar to an ant bite resulting in some very mild swelling for a few days.
    Nursery Web Spider-1.jpg
  • These beautiful Demoiselles are the largest of our native damselflies. The males have a dark blue-green metallic body and dark blue coloured patches on their wings. It is a large damselfly with a total length of up to 48 mm (1.9 in) and a wing length of up to 36 mm (1.4 in). The female has translucent, pale green iridescent wings with a white patch near the tip and a metallic green body. She can lay up to 10 eggs per minute for 45 minutes (450). They lay in a wide variety of emergent or floating plants, sometimes even submerging to do so. Males are usually territorial, but large numbers can sometimes be found in lush bank-side plants and on floating objects. They are easily identified because they resemble butterflies with their gentle, fluttering flight. They court females by opening their wings and performing an aerial dance. You can usually find Banded Demoiselles around slow moving areas of water and they are very sensitive to pollution so their presence is often an indicator of good water quality. They are on the wing throughout June and July and often into August and it is when they fly in the sunshine that you can see the stunning blue shimmer. The Banded Demoiselle is a Eurasian species and is present throughout Eurasia from the Atlantic coast to the northwest of China. They are also found throughout the UK and Ireland.
    Banded Demoiselle.jpg
  • Adult Darters can be seen on the wing all year round in southern Europe but in northern regions they occur from June to November. This small Dragonfly is seen in a wide variety of habitats, including lakes, ponds, canals and slow-flowing rivers. They are ambush predators, waiting on a prominent perch - such as a leaf or the top of a gate, until prey fly past, whereupon they will fly after it. They are territorial on breeding waters, often attempting to chase much bigger Dragonflies away. This habit of repeatedly returning to a sunny spot allows you to easily predict where they are going to land, which is why it is one of the easiest dragonflies to photograph. In suitable hunting areas away from water, however, they are not territorial: large numbers may assemble - groups of several hundred in a single field have been recorded - and lines of insects can be seen along the top of field gates. Eggs are not laid, but broadcast from the air, the male holds the female in tandem and swings her down and forward over water at a height of around 40 cm. At the furthest point of the arc the female releases some of her eggs to fall on the water.
    Common Darter Dragonfly-1.jpg
  • As the name suggests, the common blue damselfly is one of the commonest species in Ireland. Adult males are predominantly blue, spotted with black markings resembling stripes. Adult females are much darker with larger areas of black and usually a green background colour. Both dragonflies and damselflies are strong and swift fliers. Apart from their smaller size and generally more slender build, the easiest way to distinguish damselflies from dragonflies is the position of the wings when the insect is resting. Dragonflies rest with both pairs of wings held perpendicular to the body, whereas damselflies hold them almost parallel; also damselfly eyes are further apart than those of a dragonfly. Common blue damselflies appear in mid to late May and their flight period lasts right through the summer months to September. Adults live for around 12 days on average and in this short period they must breed. Mating can take up to 20 minutes and the females lay their eggs in the tissue of plants both above and below the water line and are capable of remaining submerged for some time. The male will stay guarding her at the point where she entered the water. The common blue damselfly is found around open lakes and ponds, along river and canal banks, and streams, provided there is plenty of bankside vegetation.
    Common Blue-Tail Damselfly.jpg
  • Green Tiger Beetles (the fastest insect on Earth) are easily recognized by their iridescent green colour with yellowish spots on their back. Adult Green Tiger Beetles can be seen from April to September and are between 10 - 15mm in length (they have a life span of 6 weeks). They have long legs that make them agile when hunting for prey and large eyes making them the perfect predator. If disturbed, they will fly short distances making a buzzing sound in flight. Green Tiger Beetles have extremely large jaws (mandibles) that have several teeth that resemble two curved swords with pointed blades. They are among the fastest insects on Earth, they can run at a speed of 5.6 mph, which relative to its body length, is about 22 times the speed of an Olympic sprinter & the equivalent of a human running at 480 miles per hour. In fact, Tiger Beetles run so fast that they actually lose the ability to see once they start moving. They have to visually lock on to their prey first, or run in short bursts to re-orient themselves as they chase their food. Either way they are so fast, their prey stands little chance of getting out of the way in time. Adults feed on any small invertebrates that they can catch including spiders, caterpillars, ants & other beetles. "If a military designer needed a model for a perfect combination of jeep and aircraft, able to switch from one to the other instantly, he need look no further than these feisty little creatures".
    Green Tiger Beetle-1.jpg
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