Cercopsis vulnerata

This froghopper is about 10mm long is one of the most immediately recognized insects and can be found in lush vegetation. This particular one was photographed in meadowland. It is a bug belonging to the order Hemiptera, suborder Cicadomorpha and family Cercopidae. It is the only British species in that family.

Gymnocheta viridis (a Tachinid Fly)

The images above were taken at Brockholes Wetland Reserve, Lancashire on 6th June 2011.
This beautiful fly is often found close to woodland. As an adult it feeds on nectar and pollen but its larvae are endoparasitoid on moth and butterfly caterpillars causing their host's eventual death. This fly belongs to the family Tachinidae all of which are endoparasitoids on other insects. At a glance it can be mistaken for a greenbottle but differs in that it is covered in bristles.

An interesting video on tachinids can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5llTAwSVyeA

Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula)

This Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) was photographed near water at Cuerden Valley Park, Lancashire on 21/6/10.

Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata)

This Four-spotted Chaser was shot at the Dragonfly Breeding Pond, Cuerden Valley Park, Lancashire on 21/6/10.

Sawfly (Tenthredo sp.)

This sawfly, Tenthredo sp. (probably T. mesomelas ) like other sawflies belongs to the order Hymenoptera which includes ants, bees, wasps and ichneumon flies. Sawflies are plant eating insects and the female lays her eggs inside the plant host. This is aided by the female having a saw-like structure on the ovipositor which is used to cut through the plant tissue. Both body shape and wing venation closely resemble ancestral forms found in fossil records that date back as far as the Triassic Period (200 million years ). The image above was taken in grassland at Brockhole Wetlands, Lancashire, 5/6/10.

Speckled Wood ( Pararge aegeria )

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria ) in woodland border, Brockholes Wetland, Lancashire, 12/6/10.

Wolf Spider, Family Lycosidae with spiderlings on her abdomen

Wolf Spiders (family Lycosidae), are hunting spiders which hunt at ground level. The one shown above is most likely a Pardosa sp. and was crossing a sandy patch of ground at Brockholes Wetland, Lancashire (12/6/10). This is a female which carries its egg sac attached to its spinner. The spiderlings climb onto the abdomen (as shown above) and are carried around for the first week or so.