January – Winter Bugs
Ladybirds: Even in winter, ladybirds huddle together in sheltered spots like tree bark, under leaves, or in sheds to keep warm. They love eating aphids in the summer! Fun Fact: A single ladybird can eat up to 5,000 aphids in its lifetime!
Earwigs: These little insects like to hide in damp places during the cold months. They don’t cause harm to plants but are known to nibble on decaying material. Fun Fact: Earwigs have tiny pincers at the end of their bodies, which they use to defend themselves and catch prey!
Winter Moths: Some moths, like the December Moth, can be seen in the winter months, flying at night to find mates. They can survive even in the cold! Fun Fact: Winter moths’ wings are covered in tiny scales, which help keep them warm.
February – Early Spring Bugs
Bumblebees & Honeybees: As early flowers bloom, you might spot early bumblebees or honeybees on warmer days. Fun Fact: Honeybees communicate with each other by dancing to show the location of flowers!
Red Admirals: You can sometimes spot a Red Admiral butterfly fluttering around on sunny, warmer days, especially as early flowers start blooming. Fun Fact: The Red Admiral butterfly migrates all the way from Europe to the UK in search of warmer weather!
Common Froghopper: Look for these small insects on plants, their young look especially like cuckoo spit—a frothy substance they create to protect themselves! Fun Fact: The froghopper is the fastest jumping insect in the world, jumping over 100 times its body length, WOW!
March – Spring Begins
Brimstone Butterfly: One of the first butterflies of spring, the Brimstone is easy to spot with its bright yellow wings. Fun Fact: The Brimstone butterfly is the inspiration behind the name “butterfly” because its wings look like butter!
Bumblebees: These fuzzy bees start becoming active in March, especially the white-tailed bumblebee. Fun Fact: Bumblebees can fly in the rain! They use a special method of flying called "wing rotation."
Peacock Butterfly: A beautiful butterfly with eye-like spots on its wings. Look for it sunbathing in early spring. Fun Fact: The Peacock butterfly can hibernate for months, waking up only when the weather gets warmer.
April – Spring Blooms
Orange-tip Butterfly: This butterfly has striking white wings with orange tips on the males. It's common in gardens with plenty of wildflowers. Fun Fact: The Orange-tip butterfly’s larvae eat the leaves of plants like cuckoo flower and mustard.
Solitary Bees: Unlike honeybees, solitary bees don’t live in hives, they live in trees, brickwork, dense wooded habitats or in the ground. They are busy pollinating spring flowers on their own. Fun Fact: Solitary bees can be great gardeners, as they help pollinate a wide variety of flowers and vegetables. They do not sting you, so are safe to watch closely, but don't scare them.
Garden Spider: In the warmer months, you may spot a garden spider weaving its intricate webs between plants. Fun Fact: A garden spider’s web can be so strong that it can catch insects much larger than itself!
May – The Buzz of Summer
Marmalade Hoverfly: This yellow-striped fly looks like a wasp but is harmless. It’s great for controlling aphids and pollinating flowers. Fun Fact: Hoverflies can hover in place like a helicopter, moving quickly from flower to flower!
Peacock Butterfly: This butterfly continues to be active, often seen fluttering around flowers in search of nectar. Fun Fact: The Peacock butterfly can live for up to a year, surviving through different life stages, including as a caterpillar, pupa, and adult butterfly.
Honeybees: By now, the wonderful honeybees are buzzing around in full force, visiting flowers and helping produce honey for their hives. Fun Fact: Honeybees can visit up to 5,000 flowers in a single day! Did you know, that a single bee is likely to produce 1 tablespoon of honey in its lifetime, so this is why a colony who all live with a Queen in a Hive work so hard together. Like a team!
June – Summer is in Full Swing
Common Blue Butterfly: A beautiful butterfly with bright blue wings, the Common Blue can be seen in gardens and meadows.
Fun Fact: Common Blue butterflies are attracted to clover and brightly coloured vetch, which provide nectar for them to feed on.
Dragonflies: As the weather warms, look for broad-bodied chasers and common darters near ponds, darting around catching insects.
Fun Fact: Dragonflies can fly in any direction—forward, backward, and even hover making them like the skilled fighter jet pilots in the film, Top Gun! The Dragonfly is one of the fastest flying insects in the world — it can reach speeds of 35 miles per hour!
Cinnabar Moth: Look out for this striking black and yellow striped moth, particularly in wildflower gardens.
Fun Fact: The Cinnabar Moth’s caterpillars eat ragwort, a plant that is toxic to many animals but not to them!
July – The Height of Summer
Swallowtail Butterfly: The stunning Swallowtail butterfly, with its tail-like extensions on the wings, can sometimes be seen in gardens. Fun Fact: Swallowtail butterflies are rare in the UK but are a special sight when they appear, so keep your eyes out for them.
Tortoiseshell Butterflies: The Small Tortoiseshell and Painted Lady butterflies are active in gardens throughout the summer months. Fun Fact: Tortoiseshell butterflies can live for up to a year and may hibernate over winter, whereas most other species of Butterfly can live between 2 weeks and a few months only!
Crickets and Grasshoppers: These insects are active, chirping away in the garden, especially in the evenings. Look for them on tall grass and plants. Fun Fact: Only male crickets chirp, and they do so to attract females! They do this by rubbing their legs or front wings together, isn't that funny?
August – Late Summer Insects
Comma Butterfly: This butterfly has jagged edges on its wings and is a striking sight in late summer. Fun Fact: The Comma butterfly’s wings look like a leaf when they’re closed, helping them blend in with their surroundings!
Gatekeeper Butterfly: This brown butterfly with orange markings flits around gardens in late summer. Fun Fact: Gatekeeper butterflies are often found near hedgerows, where they can lay their eggs on grasses.
Wasps: As the weather heats up, you may notice more wasps around. They help control pest populations in the garden. Fun Fact: Wasps are great for pest control, as they eat aphids and other small insects and only the female Wasp has a nasty sting.
September – The End of Summer
Small Copper Butterfly: A tiny but beautiful butterfly, the Small Copper can be seen in gardens during early autumn. Fun Fact: The Small Copper butterfly loves to sunbathe, so you will often see them relaxing on a leaf in the sunshine.
Speckled Wood Butterfly: Found in shady areas of the garden, the Speckled Wood is active well into autumn. Fun Fact: The Speckled Wood butterfly’s wings have distinctive eyespots that help scare off predators.
Hoverflies: Still busy at work, hoverflies continue pollinating flowers and keeping aphid populations in check. Fun Fact: Hoverflies are often mistaken for wasps but are completely harmless!
October – Autumn Arrives
Red Admiral Butterfly: The Red Admiral is often seen migrating through the UK in the autumn months, heading south. Fun Fact: Red Admiral butterflies travel thousands of miles during their migration!
Autumn Ladybird: Look for Autumn Ladybirds as they start to cluster in sheltered spots in preparation for winter. Fun Fact: Some ladybirds hibernate together in large groups to stay warm during the winter months. A group or cluster of Ladybirds is called a 'Loveliness', isn't that cute?
Moths: As the weather cools, autumn moths like the Lunar Underwing become more active. Fun Fact: Moths are nocturnal and are attracted to light, making them a fascinating night-time garden visitor.
November & December – Winter's Approach
Woodlice: Woodlice are active under logs or fallen leaves, feeding on decaying organic matter. Fun Fact: Woodlice are not insects; they are actually crustaceans, related to crabs and lobsters!
Frosted Butterflies: On warmer days, you might spot a Peacock or Small Tortoiseshell butterfly basking in the sun. Fun Fact: Peacock butterflies can hibernate through winter and wake up in the spring!
Spiders: These creatures will be wanting to visit you indoors to keep warm from the cold. The Giant House Spider and Harvestman might look scary, but they are harmless! Fun Fact: Not all spiders make webs and there are over 40,000 different species of spiders! That is a lot!
Fun Facts for the Whole Family
1. Many insects and bugs communicate with each other through vibrations or smells!
2. Some bugs, like the ladybird, help your garden stay healthy by eating harmful pests.
3. Bees are essential pollinators and play a huge role in growing the food we eat!
4. One ant can lift 20 times its own body weight!
5. Caterpillars have about 4,000 muscles, humans have 600.
6. Insects make up over 90 percent of the animal life living on earth.