INSECTS

Butterflies, moths, beetles, praying mantis, grasshoppers, flies, mosquitos, dragonflies, bees and ants – where-ever you look throughout the spring, summer and autumn there are insects, so many it can be daunting trying to identify them all. The abundance of flowers attracts pollinators, each flower with its own typical range of insect visitors. The variety of form and lifestyle is fascinating – I’m just at the very beginning of my ‘study’ and although I have observed all of the above-mentioned types, I have very few photos and exact identifications so far – more fun to look forward to!

Some basic biology – short and simple!

Insects are invertebrates , that is they have no internal skeleton, instead an outside protective ‘shell’ (exoskeleton) of a substance called chitin. The body is typically segmented and divided into 3 distinct zones – head (with eyes and antennae/feelers), thorax/middle part (with wings, wing cases and 3 pairs of segmented legs) and abdomen ( usually the largest section containing the sexual as well as other vital organs).

The exoskeleton is like a hinged suit of armour that has to be shed (moulted) as the animal grows.

Fertilization is internal and the eggs are carefully laid on the feeding plants or in the environment (pond, soil) needed by the hatchlings.

Many insects, (ladybirds, butterflies, dragonflies) have a juvenile form that is very different in appearance and lifestyle from the adult. The juvenile stage lives much longer than the adult and devotes itself entirely to feeding and growing. At the end of the growth phase, a major metamorphosis occurs. The adult has a relatively short life devoted entirely to mating and laying eggs. This pattern may vary according to species and especially social insects such as bees and ants show a distinctive life cycle where not all individuals have a reproductive role.

Click on a thumbnail photo to go to full photo and description.