Insects and other Invertebrates

If you look carefully you will see insects and other invertebrates in every part of Oare Gunpowder Works.

Butterflies fly in the grassy glades during the summer and the smaller bugs, caterpillars and the aphids on the trees provide good food for many birds throughout the year. Dragonflies hawk over the water watching for smaller insects to eat whilst the blackbird, probing in the ground for worms, exploits the animals of the soil. Slugs and snails use undisturbed damp areas of the buildings to shelter from the heat of summer and the cold of winter. Spiders of all sizes use the trees, the remains of old buildings and the grassland to hunt or weave their complex webs.

The following information gives some examples of the wealth of wildlife at Oare. Visit the site and look for minibeasts; take a reference book and a camera. Don’t forget to use the interpretation boards, which show many more details.

There are many species of dragonfly and damselfly that lay their eggs on submerged aquatic vegetation at Oare. The hatchlings are called nymphs and shed their skin (exoskeleton) several times before they reach sexual maturity. The mature nymph climbs up waterside vegetation and wriggles out of its skin, emerging as the flying insect. The interpretation panels give details about

• Azure damselfly Coenagrion puella
• Common blue damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum
• Large red damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula
• Banded demoiselle damselfly Calopteryx splendens
• Common darter dragonfly Sympetrum striolatum
• Southern hawker dragonfly Aeshna cyanea
• Emperor dragonfly Anax imperator
• Broad–bodied chaser dragonfly Libellula depressa

Other species may be present and, as the water is managed, new species may colonise the site.

A wealth of small invertebrates spend most of their lives in the water. Many will live in the detritus at the bottom of the pond and, as it is managed, the variety and number of species will change. The interpretation panels give details about

• Water boatman or Common backswimmer Notonecta glauca
• Pond skater Gerris spp
• Screech beetle Hygrobia hermanni
• Pea mussel Pisidium spp
• Ramshorn snail Planorbis planorbis

Many different organisms are found in the leaf litter, each playing a part in the decomposition of the leaf material. It is easy to see the larger woodlice (about 1cm long), centipedes and millipedes, snails and slugs and predatory beetles but if you look carefully you might see primitive insects called springtails. These are believed to be the most abundant insects in the world.

Grasshoppers and sometimes crickets are seen in the grassland area where they become very active on the warm, sunny days in the summer. The males of both ‘sing’ (stridulate) by rubbing body parts together. When you visit Oare in the summer-time listen carefully and see if you can hear songs from different species.

Butterflies are often seen at Oare. Adult butterflies lay their eggs on the plants that the caterpillars will eat. The large areas of nettles Urtica dioica are host to many species, whilst careful searching of the open grassy areas may reveal more caterpillars.

The buildings provide shelter for both butterflies and moths during the winter. The interpretation panels include details about

• Brimstone butterfly Gonepteryx rhamni (caterpillar feeds on buckthorn)
• Comma butterfly Polygonia c-album (caterpillar feeds on common nettle, hops, elm and sallows)
• Peacock Inachis io (caterpillar feeds on common nettle)
• Red admiral Vanessa atalanta (caterpillar feeds on common nettle and sometimes thistles)
• Speckled wood Pararge aegeria (caterpillar feeds on various wild grasses)
• Small tortoiseshell Aglais urticae (caterpillar feeds on common nettle)

Moths have not been extensively studied at Oare but with so many foodplants available for the caterpillars it is likely that there are vast numbers of these night-time creatures providing ideal food for many bats.

There are many small flies at Oare but you may not see them as they utilise the tree canopy and undisturbed areas of the site. Caddis flies may be seen as they emerge from their larval stage in the water but these weak fliers are more active at night.

Craneflies, midges, hoverflies and houseflies are all likely to be present but not often seen.

Ants, wasps and bees are all members of the same group (Order Hymenoptera) with many living in colonies. Wasps are mainly predatory insects with larvae feeding on animal matter. The larvae of gall wasps feed on some plants, producing unusual plant growth, visible as galls. Examples include the familiar oak apple gall on oak and robin’s pincushion gall on wild roses. Bees feed on nectar and pollen. Most ants nest in the ground with only the queen and the males flying in mating swarms in the late summer.

Beetles form the largest group of insects with over 4000 species in Britain. The front wings are hard and strong… think of a typical beetle like a ladybird. There are likely to be many present at Oare but again they are not easy to see. Many spend their lives hidden deep in vegetation or in water. Beetles have biting jaws: some like ground beetles eat smaller animals, others like ladybirds eat aphids. Weevils eat all sorts of vegetable matter whilst the wasp beetle has larvae that live in rotting wood.

Check out www.ex.ac.uk/bugclub, www.dragonflysoc.org.uk, www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/wildbritain/look_around/insects/

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Things You Can Do Visit Oare Gunpowder Works

Other Websites www.ex.ac.uk
www.dragonflysoc.org.uk
www.bbc.co.uk

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Azure damselfly

Broad–bodied chaser dragonfly

Small tortoiseshell butterfly

Bombus sylvarum bee