Category: grassland-i

  • Sexton beetle

    Sexton beetle

    As spring arrives, we can look forward not only to budding flowers, but also to insects, like this Sexton beetle, greeting another year. Photo: Debbie Sea-Kay

  • Broad-bodied Chaser

    Broad-bodied Chaser

    Windmill Farm is a haven for dragon- and damselflies, including species such as this Broad-bodied Chaser. Photo: Dougy Wright

  • Wasp Spider

    Wasp Spider

    Scientific name: Argiope bruennichi What to look for: · Family: Araneidae. · Colouring and appearance: Female: yellow and black horizontal to zigzag stripes on abdomen. Males: pale brown. · Size: […]

  • Common Crab Spider

    Common Crab Spider

    This little crab spider was spotted scuttling across the beach at Church Cove, near Gunwalloe, but they can be found in many habitats, especially open, undisturbed ground. Photo: Amanda Scott

  • Flavous Nomad Bee

    Flavous Nomad Bee

    This lovely little nomad bee was spotted at Poltesco. Called the Flavous Nomad Bee, it was gorging itself on Three-cornered Garlic. Photo: Andy Pay   

  • Yellow-legged Mining Bee

    Yellow-legged Mining Bee

    The first flight period of the Yellow-legged Mining Bee is in the spring, when you can spot them nectaring on flowers. You can also look out for their nests in […]

  • Swollen-thighed Beetle

    Swollen-thighed Beetle

    Look out for the sparkling copper-green of the Swollen-thighed Beetle on flowerheads on hot sunny summer days.  Photo: Amanda Scott

  • Chrysotoxum elegans (hoverfly)

    Chrysotoxum elegans (hoverfly)

    The striking and nationally scarce hoverfly Chrysotoxum elegans is often found near the coasts of south-west England and southern Wales. Poltesco is a good place to look for it. Photo: […]

  • Western Bee-fly

    Western Bee-fly

    The Western Bee-fly is a fairly rare species in the UK – it has been spotted on The Lizard, both near Kennack and at Poltesco. Photo: Tony Blunden

  • Beautiful Demoiselle

    Beautiful Demoiselle

    Beautiful Demoiselle damselflies are on the wing from early summer until the early autumn. Photo: © Natural England/Chris Gomersall

  • Marmalade Fly

    Marmalade Fly

    The Marmalade Fly, our most common hoverfly, can be seen most of the year, as overwintering adults will emerge on sunny winter days. Photo: Amanda Scott

  • Wasp-mimic hoverfly

    Wasp-mimic hoverfly

    The striking wasp-mimic hoverfly Chrysotoxum bicinctum is found in grassy places and more open areas in woodland. Photo: Andy Pay

  • Chequered Hoverfly

    Chequered Hoverfly

    There are many species of hoverfly in the UK. While most are known only by their scientific name, this one is distinguished by having a common name of its own. […]

  • Garden Spider

    Garden Spider

    In late summer and early autumn, you may notice orb spiderwebs covering the shrubs and long grass alongside the coastal paths on the Lizard, glistening with dew in the early […]