The European hornet (scientific name Vespa crabro) is a large, black and yellow social wasp that can be easily identified due to its distinct yellow stripes. The fearsome-looking hornet is not generally a very well-loved insect and is known for its painful stings (which are triggered when defending its nest). However, it’s also an important […]
Hornet (Vespa Crabro) Read More »
A stonechat (scientific name Saxicola rubicola) is a small-sized bird in the family of thrushes. It is a common and widespread species with its habitat covering most of Europe, northern Africa, extreme southwestern Asia, to the Pacific Ocean. The stonechat bird gets its name from its call, which sounds like two stones being hit together.
Stonechat (Saxicola Rubicola) Read More »
Hoverflies go by many other names, such as flower flies, syrphid flies, and drone flies. They make up the insect family Syrphidae and belong to the order Diptera (true flies). Hoverflies are an extremely common species; in total, there are about 2000 species of hoverflies worldwide of which 182 species have been recorded in Australia
Hoverfly (Syrphidae) Read More »
The moorhen (gallinula chloropus) is a water bird that is a member of the rail family. It is the only living bird species in its genus. It has also been called the American coot, common moorhen, swamp chicken, and marsh hen. The moorhen has many different names in different places. It can be called the
Moorhen (Gallinula Chloropus) Read More »
The swallow (also known as barn swallow), or scientific name Hirundo rustica in Latin, is one of the 20 most common garden birds found in Europe. They are migratory birds that inhabit rural areas as well as urban ones. They can be found living in abandoned and open-fronted buildings, on fences, under bridges, and on
Swallow (Hirundo Rustica) Read More »
The jay (scientific name Garrulus glandarius) is the most colourful member of the Corvidae family, which has been around for 10 million years and includes more than 120 endemic species. Unlike others in the crow family that have black plumage (like crows and jackdaws), jays have a very small amount of black feathers. Jays are also
Eurasian Jay (Garrulus Glandarius) Read More »
The elephant hawk moth (Deilephila elpenor) is a species in the family Sphingidae. Although it gets its common name from its size (and because the caterpillar looks like an elephant’s trunk), this moth is not the largest in terms of wingspan. A lepidopteran that is often called a sphinx moth due to its very unique
Elephant Hawk Moth (Deilephila Elpenor) Read More »
The cinnabar moth (scientific name Tyria jacobaeae) is a moth in the family Eribidae and the genus Tyria. The moth is named for the red mineral cinnabar, whose pigment it bears on its wings that is similar to the ore of the metal Mercury. This pigment gives its name to this species of moth –
Cinnabar Moth (Tyria Jacobaeae) Read More »
The crane fly (tipula paludosa) is a large insect belonging to the Tipulidae family (which contains many families of parasitic insects) and order Diptera. They go by many different names, such as the shovel fly, mosquito hawks. More commonly in the UK, they go by the name daddy longlegs, which is also a term used
Crane Fly (Tipula Paludosa) Read More »
The jackdaw (scientific name Corvus monedula) is a passerine bird in the crow family, native to Europe, Asia, Australasia and the Middle East. It is known by many different names, such as the western jackdaw, the Eurasian jackdaw or the European jackdaw. It is possibly the most abundant species of crow in Europe, with an
Jackdaw (Corvus Monedula) Read More »
