Week 62: Common Blue Damselfly ('Enallagma cyathigerum')

The Common Blue Damselfly was @SpeciesofUK from 27^th May to 1^st June, 2014.

The common blue is a small and brightly coloured damselfly that is common throughout Europe and the British Isles.[1]

Common Blue Damselfly
[Flickr Creative Commons © Rushen]

Week 57: Small White Butterfly (‘Pieris rapae’)

The Small White Butterfly was @SpeciesofUK from 7^th to 13^th April, 2014.

The small white is one of the butterflies (alongside the large white) that we sometimes call a 'cabbage white.'[1] It is one of the most widespread butterflies in the UK.[2]

Small White Butterfly
[Wikimedia Commons © James Lindsey]

Week 54: Miner Bees (‘Andrena’)

Miner Bees were @SpeciesofUK from 17^th to 23^rd March, 2014.

‘Miner bees’ or ‘sand bees’ make up the genus Andrena. There are over 1,300 species worldwide of which around sixty live in the UK, making it one of the largest bee genera.[1]

Miner Bee
[Wikimedia Commons © Jeffdelonge]

Miner bees get their name from their habit of digging nest burrows in sandy soil, in which their prepupae spend the winter.[2] 

Week 42: December Moth ('Poecilocampa populi')

The December Moth was @SpeciesofUK from 18^th November to 8^th December, 2013.

The December moth is a fairly common species of moth found across the UK.[1]

December Moth
[Wikimedia Commons © Walter Schön]

The flight time of the December moth, as its name suggests, is late in the year. It can be found from late October to December.[2]

Week 30: Hummingbird Hawk-moth (‘Macroglossum stellatarum’)

The hummingbird hawk-moth was @SpeciesofUK from 28^th July to 3^rd August, 2013.

There are over 2,400 species of moth in the UK.[1] The hummingbird hawk-moth is one of the most unusual-looking.

Hummingbird Hawk-moth
[Source: Flickr Creative Commons © wnd.andreas]

The hummingbird hawk-moth is a member of the Sphingidae family, alongside 1,450 other hawk moths, hornworms and sphinx moths worldwide. Most Sphingidae are found in the tropics, but seventeen are seen regularly in the UK.[2] 

Week 29: Water Boatmen (‘Corixa’ and ‘Notonecta’)

Water boatmen were @SpeciesofUK from 14^th to 24^th July, 2013.

Water boatmen are aquatic bugs that live in ponds and slow-flowing streams.[1]

Greater Water Boatman
[Source: Flickr Creative Commons © JRxpo]

In the UK, water boatmen are grouped into ‘lesser’ water boatmen (Corixidae and Pleidae species) and ‘greater’ water boatmen (Notonectidae). The simplest difference between the two is that lesser water boatmen swim on their front and greater on their back.[2]

Week 23: Large Blue Butterfly (‘Phengaris arion’)

The Large Blue Butterfly was @SpeciesofUK from 12^th to 25^th May, 2013.

The large blue is one of the UK’s 59 species of butterfly. It became extinct in the UK in 1979, but has since been successfully reintroduced.

Large Blue
[Source: Flickr Creative Commons © Lynkos Natura]

Our large blue is one of five species of large blue across Europe, all from the genus Phengaris in the Lycaenidae family, the second largest family of butterflies with about 40% of extant species.[1] The large blue is also one of 15-20,000 individual species of butterfly across the world![2]

Week 20: Wood ants ('Formica rufa' group)

Wood ants were @SpeciesofUK from 21^st to 27^th April, 2013.

What is a wood ant? Well, first, what is an ant? Ants (Formicidae) are social insects that form complex colonies.[1]

There are possibly more than 20,000 species of ants (they're still all being classified) in a multiplicity of subfamilies.[2] It’s thought that ants make up at least 15% of terrestrial animal biomass. They're a rampantly successful group of animals![3]

Wood ants
[Source: Flickr Creative Commons © Walter-Wilhelm]

Wood ants are part of the Formica ant genus, a genus that is also made up of other mound ants, thatching ants and field ants. Wood ants as a general rule live in wooded areas and create impressive thatched mounds.[4]

Week 14: Springtails (Collembola)

Springtails were the @SpeciesofUK from 3^rd to 9^th March 2013.

Springtails are tiny animals named for their ability to jump. They aren't actually a single species. They're a large grouping, 'Subclass,' of several thousand species, of which about 250 are found in the UK.

Springtails
[Source: Flickr Creative Commons © smccann]

Springtails are found all over the UK, most of the year round. They eat vegetation such as rotting leaves and bacteria, and so are often found in leaf litter and compost.[1]