Bladder campion
Bladder campion, Silene vulgaris. Bladder campion has large, bladder-shaped swellings behind its white, five-petalled flowers. Flowers May to September. It is categorised by the Royal Horticultural as ‘Perfect for pollinators’. WT
Simon Olley
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Bindweed
Bindweed, Convolvulaceae. With its beautiful white trumpet head this is one of those plants that gardeners love to see, as long as it’s not in their garden. Its brittle perennial root system means that it can regrow from even the tiniest of cuttings and its vigorous growth can suffocate many plants.Photo: Stephen Middleton
Dock bug
Dock bug, Coreus marginatus. A large and mottled reddish-brown squashbug with a broad, oval abdomen. The two small projections between the antennae are diagnostic. Picture shows two bugs mating on a dock leaf. There is one generation per year, adults mating and laying eggs in spring. The nymphs feed predominantly on dock so you are likely to find them easily […]
Common blue damselfly
Common Blue Damselfly, Enallagma cyathigerum. Very common and very blue! One of the most common damselflies in the UK. Photo Tristan Bantock
Large red damselfly
Large red damselfly, Pyrrhosoma nymphula. Very common at all ponds. Photo Stephen Middleton
Southern Hawker
Southern Hawker, Aeshna cyanea. A frequent visitor to the pond in the Wildlife Trail. This male was expertly netted, handled and freed by Dan Hackett. They are highly inquisitive and will fly very close if you keep still. We’ve seen them laying eggs at the pond and are aware of at least a dozen nymphs hatching to adulthood in 2021. […]
Broad-bodied chaser
Broad-bodied Chaser, Libellula depressa. Spotted on a number of occasions by the pond in the Wildlife Trail. Identified by the yellow dots along its side and its broad body. Photo Stephen Middleton
Roesel’s bush cricket
Roesel’s bush cricket,Metrioptera roeselii. Seen June to October favouring damp meadow and grassland. Found in South East England but spreading north and west. Photo Stephen Middleton
Common red soldier beetle
Common red soldier beetle, Rhagonycha fulva. Quite a common sight within meadows in the summer and often seen as mating pairs. Fond of hogweed and cow parsley. Photo Stephen Middleton
Common green shieldbug
Common green shieldbug, Palomena prasina. Climate change has given a boost to this beetle which also benefits from having a broad diet. There are two species of green shieldbug in the UK – one native (the common green shieldbug) and one that arrived very recently from Europe (the southern green shieldbug, Nezara viridula). The common green shieldbug is bright green […]