Descriptions of the Terrestrial Minibeasts on Stanpit Marsh

 

On this page we describe interesting facts about the 'Terrestrial Minibeasts' found on Stanpit Marsh. All photographs are by members of FOSM. It is an ongoing project and you can become involved. If you have photographed an 'Terrestrial Minibeasts' on Stanpit Marsh send it in for display here.

Click on the picture to enlarge it. Click on the back arrow top left to return.

Send your Stanpit Marsh insect photo
You can also send text about the insect or leave it to us

We also have a page on:
Plants on Stanpit Marsh
Mammals on Stanpit Marsh
Birds seen on Stanpit Marsh

 

This page of Terrestrial Minibeasts is sub-divided as follows:

- Bees and Wasps
- Beetles and Bugs
- Butterflies, Moths and Caterpillars
- Crickets and Grasshoppers
- Dragonflies and Damselflies
- Flies
- Molluscs
- Spiders and Mites

 

Bees and Wasps

Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum).

Recognised by its thin coat and rather scruffy appearance.
A common, sociable bee, living in colonies.
It feeds on nectar, and produces a small amount on honey for feeding in bad weather.
It nests underground or in grassy tufts. New queens are produced in late summer/autumn and out of the whole colony only these bees survive the winter – forming a new colony in the spring.

 

 

 

Buff-tailed Bumble bee (Bombus audax).

This was photographed at nest entrance in turf of North Scrubs.
They nest deep in the ground, sometimes as deep as 1 metre; they also sometimes take over empty mouse or mole holes. The nest is lined with dry grass and moss.

 

 

 

 

Beetles and Bugs

 

7-Spot Ladybird.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gorse Shield Bug

This is near adult. The young are more reddish especially on the wings.
It hibernates during the winter – re-emerging as fully adult.
It is often found on gorse – but also feeds on several other plants.

 

 

 

 

Green Shieldbug

Uniformly green, but turns brown in winter before hibernation. It re-emerges bright green again in the spring.
It feeds on a variety of plants and soft seeds.

 

 

 

 

Dock Bug

 

 

 

 

 

 

Green Birch Shieldbug

This is a 5th instar – probably the last skin-change before becoming adult. The adult is slimmer and has bronze wings.
As it’s name suggests, it feeds on cones and foliage of birch, but also alder.

 

 

 

 

Butterflies, Moths and Caterpillars

 

Skipper butterfly

This is a Small Skipper, taken in Ashtree meadow.

In flight                          -     Late June – August
Where on marsh           -     Scrub areas
Caterpillar stage           -     August – June
Food plant                    -     Soft grasses – Yorkshire fog, Cat’s tail, & Wood False Brome
Overwinters as             -     Newly hatched caterpillar

 

 

 

Essex Skipper butterfly
This is an Essex Skipper - an unusual species on the Marsh.

In flight                           -    July – August
Where on the marsh      -    Scrub areas
Caterpillar stage            -    April – July
Food plant                     -    Grasses – including Couch, Cat’s tail, & Brome
Overwinters as              -    Egg

The Essex butterfly is extremely similar to Small Skipper – except darker underside of antennae tip, and less-obvious scent mark on forewing of male

 

Gatekeeper on the Marsh

Gatekeeper

In flight                            -   July – September
Where on the marsh       -   Scrub areas, esp. bramble
Caterpillar stage             -    August – June
Food plant                      -    Grasses – including Meadow & Couch Grass
Overwinters as               -    Caterpillar


 

 

 




• Knotgrass Moth caterpillar

  Knotgrass Moth caterpillar

Widely distributed in British Isles, less in Scotland.
Feeds on Dock, Plantain and Bramble.  Overwinters as a pupa.
Moths – mottled grey and black, curved white mark on edge of forewing, 40 mm wingspan.
Fly between July and August, 2nd brood August and Sept.  Found in the Scrub.

 

 

Crickets and Grasshoppers


 

Meadow Grasshopper

Meadow Grasshopper

The most common of grasshoppers. Both sexes have short wings.
Most grasshoppers shed their skin 4 times before reaching adulthood in late May or June.
Their eggs are laid batches of 15 or so in pods in soft soil, and hatch in early spring.
It feeds on plants, but mainly thin grasses.
Note Grasshoppers are extremely difficult to identify and a number of body factors have to be studied carefully.


 

 

 

 

Dragonflies and Damselflies





• Common Darter

  Common Darter

This is a Common Darter by the Purewell Stream both taken this early August 2008,

 

 

Flies


send in your photo

Molluscs ( eg sandhoppers)


send in your photo

 

 

Spiders and Mites

 

Crab Spider

Crab spiders make up the Thomisidae family of the Araneae order. They are called crab spiders because they resemble crabs, with two front pairs of legs angled outward and bodies that are flattened and often angular. Also, like crabs, Thomisidae can move sideways or backwards. They are very maneuverable in tight places.
Crab spiders do not build webs to trap prey. They are hunters and ambushers. Some species sit on or among flowers, bark, fruit or leaves where they grab visiting insects. Misumena vatia is one of these. The female can change its colour between white and yellow to match the flower it sits on. Males are small and brown. Crab spiders use their powerful front legs to grab and hold onto prey while paralyzing it with a venomous bite. it is not poisonous to humans. They are found in Europe and North America and other parts of the world.

Below is a close-up of the crab spider.



 

 

Nursery Spider

Nursery Spider

This is a fairly large spider and can be seen in most habitats – including marshy areas!
It can be seen carrying an egg sac underneath its body, prior to building a web structure over vegetation as a nursery for the spiderlings.
It does not build a web to catch prey, but is a ground hunter.

 

 

 

 




• Garden Spider - Spiderlings

  Spiderlings of the Garden Spider

The most common of British spiders – found in gardens as well as the countryside.
The spiderlings hatch within the nest web and resemble the adults in colouring. They stay together for a few days before dispersing.
The young are able to construct a web – orb-shaped – within a couple of months, but do not grow to full size until very late summer.




 

 




• Funnel web Spider

  Labyrinth Spider (Agelena labyrinthica)

This spider is known as a funnel web spider and spins its web in low vegetation and bushes.  The web is of a large volume with a tubular retreat open at both ends.  The egg sac is built at a greater height and consists of an inner sac suspended by thin supports in a larger bag.  Both are white.  The female remains on guard in the ‘labyrinth’ and dies there.  It is common and widespread.  Found in North Scrubs. 

 

 

 

 

 

Wasp spider on the Marsh

Swasp spider and egg sac

Although an introduced species (by accident during the 60’s) it is fairly common now all along the south coast.
It is completely harmless to humans, despite it’s wasp-like colouring.
It builds a strong orb web, with a distinct zig zag stablimentum through the centre.
It’s nest is a beautifully constructed pot-shape, and the offspring spend the winter in this pot mainly in the egg form – emerging as spiderlings in early spring.
They are ground feeders until reaching adulthood in August when their webs are visible.







 

Stanpit Marsh

 

 

 

• © MMVIII Fosm
• Disclaimer
• Contact details
• Site development by: Hopking Design