Other Insects
Meadow Grasshopper
A meadow grasshopper, one of the commonest grasshoppers in the UK. Grasshoppers hatch out of their eggs as tiny versions called nymphs. Grasshoppers eat a wide variety of vegetation and are generally not fussy! They are foodstuff for frogs and toads, lizards, birds and some rodents.
Grasshoppers and crickets can often be heard rather than seen, but occasionally, if you see one jump, you may be able to locate it in the vegetation.
Common Darter Dragonfly
The woodland is a good place to see dragonflies. They can be seen flying over the grass between the trees or resting on seed heads or low branches.
Dragonflies and damselflies have voracious appetites. A dragonfly larvae (known as a nymph), which lives underwater for up to two years, will eat almost any creature smaller than itself.
Once emerged as adults, dragonflies eat mainly mosquitoes, midges and other small flying insects, catching them while in flight. Dragonflies control the population of biting insects. They are eaten in turn by birds, frogs, large spiders and fish.
The pictures show a male (above) and female (below) Common Darter .