• The moth hovers above a flower and sucks nectar through its long tongue.
• It is a day flying moth and has been confused with a Hummingbird because of its feeding style.
• Migrates from Southern Europe often flying as far as 100 miles a day.

HABITAT & FOOD NEEDS.....

• Arrives in southern England from june onwards.
• Frequents parks and gardens well stocked with flowers.
• Lay eggs on Ladies Bedstraw and similar plants in July an August.
• Adult dragonflies feed on flying insects especially small flies, midges and mosquitoes.
• The new generation of moths either migrate back to Europe or die in the winter.

ATTRACTING THE SPECIES TO YOUR GARDEN......

• The garden needs to be well stocked with nectar rich flowers.

SPECIES IDENTIFICATION & RECORDING......

• The adults moth is brown and orange in colour with a 4.5 cm wingspan.
• The caterpillars feed on Bedstraw plants.

CRANE FLY (Tipula paludosa)

INTERESTING FACTS......

• Commonly known as Daddy Longlegs because of its appearance.
• Their legs break off easily to help them escape from predators, but they do not re grow.
• Crane flies only live one year.

HABITAT & FOOD NEEDS.....

• From June onwards females lay 50-150 eggs through an egg-laying tube at the end of their body.
• They insert the tube deep into the soil and the eggs hatch in autumn.
• The larvae, known as Leather Jackets, are serious, destructive pests as they attack the roots of plants.
• Some adults feed on nectar while others rely on the food reserves built up in the larval stage.

SPECIES IDENTIFICATION & RECORDING......

• The adults have long, thin bodies and long wings ranging from 1-4 cm in length.
• The commonest species are dull in colour.
• The larvae are grey, cylindrical maggots about 2 cm long and are found in damp soil.
• After 6-9 months the larva enter the pupal stage from which they emerge as adults the following summer.

CADDIS FLY (Order Trichoptera)

INTERESTING FACTS......

• They are aquatic insects also known as Sedge flies and frequently used as bait by anglers.
• The larvae of Caddis flies make tubes from sand grains or pieces of vegetation for camouflage.
• it was named after the "Caddis Man", an old world Pedlar who decorated his clothes with samples of his wares.

HABITAT & FOOD NEEDS.....

• Caddis eggs are laid in or near water.
• The larvae eat only plant material in the water.
• The adlut flies are like brown moths and only drink nectar and other plant fluids.
• The largest species, the Great Red Sedge, can be found from May to July near still or slow running water.

ATTRACTING THE SPECIES TO YOUR GARDEN......

• A stream and pond with good bank side vegetation and submerged and floating plants in the water.

SPECIES IDENTIFICATION & RECORDING......

• The adult differ from moths in having a sparse covering of hairs on the wings instead of scales.
• The larvae make tubes to protect their soft bodies and gills.
• There are 188 British species of Caddis fly which range in wingspan from 0.5-2.5 cm.