Downlooker Snipe Fly (Rhagio scolopacea)

This fly gets its name from the habit of resting with its head down on tree trunks. It is usually in flight from May to August. This one was spotted on a stile close to a meadow near woodland in Darwen, Lancashire on 2nd June 2011. The female of the species, as shown above, can be distinguished from the male by the separation of the eyes; the eyes of the male are close together. It belongs to the family Rhagionidae. The larvae are predators on other insects and are often found living in rotting wood.

Green Tiger Beetle (Cicindela campestris)

This beautiful iridescent green tiger beetle is the commonest of the five British tiger beetles. It belongs to the family of ground beetles, Carabidae. This 12 to 13mm long insect is long-legged, with large mandibles making it a formidable predator. It prefers dry, sandy places and can be seen between May and October. The larvae are also carnivorous digging burrows from which the ambush ants and other ground-living insects. The above image was taken at Witherslack, Cumbria, 27.9.11.

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.