National Insect Week day 3 – bush crickets

Insects fall into two main ‘divisions’ when it comes to their development from egg to adult. In some insects such as butterflies, moths, beetles and flies, eggs hatch into larvae (sometimes called caterpillars or maggots) and these then metamorphose via a chrysalis (or pupae) in the adult animal.

Other insects such as grasshoppers and crickets develop gradually – when the egg hatches the individual looks like a mini version of the adult and then gradually grows shedding its exoskeleton via series of instars.

This is an early instar of a speckled bush-cricket photographed a couple of days ago in my garden – the body (excluding the antennae) was less than 5mm long

This is an adult (final instar) speckled bush-cricket photographed in the same place last summer. It is around 16mm in length excluding the antennae. Bush-crickets can go through up to nine instars before adulthood.

A close up shows why it is called the speckled bush-cricket.

A speckled bush cricket at Hembury Woods

Speckled bush crickets are very common animals but aren’t necessarily seen that often as they are rather good at camouflaging themselves. I found this one at Hembury Woods last week.

Sunbathing on a bramble leaf

A close up which demonstrates why they are called ‘speckled’ bush crickets

All within 50 metres of my office

Yesterday was a good day for insects at my office at Parke! Managed to find the following beasties within 50 yards of my desk.

This is a solitary bee called the woolly carder bee Anthidium manicatum. It has yellow spots down the side of the abdomen, a yellow face and white hairy legs

I couldn’t initially identify it even though it is very distinctive so I took to Twitter for some help and fortunately Ian Beavis curator at the Tunbridge Wells Museum told me what it was – thanks Ian. They make their nest from the hairs of various plants – thus the name – more details here.

Here is the national distribution courtesy of the National Biodiversity Network

I also checked out the species on Steven Falks amazing Flickr site – a photographic library of all British and Irish bees – nearly 300 species – see here.

Later in the day an NT member can to the office asking various questions and he had a small caterpillar crawling on his arm. Here it is – it is a vapourer moth caterpillar – very hairy with ‘antlers’ and 4 distinct clumps of yellow hairs

Found this speckled bush cricket in the Walled Garden – huge antennae

Along with this small skipper

Finally AJ found a golden haired long horn beetle which flew into him – I have written about this species before – see here.

That’s what I call a good day in the office!