We are well and truly on the way to longer, sunnier days, BBQ's and trips to the beach (hooray!).
This is a fantastic time of the year for getting outdoors and making the most of the beautiful British weather. If like us, you love a garden full of flowers and wildlife you may have noticed some rather interesting flying insects as you relax in the garden or when you are getting stuck in to the gardening.
This is a countdown of our favourite 3 garden insects;
1. The Ashy Mining Bee (Andrena cineraria)
These amazing little insects love an open sunny location, particularly in coastal areas, moorlands, river banks, open woodlands, as well as gardens and urban areas. The females dig the burrows and create underground nests and they are active from March to June throughout England, Wales and West Scotland.
You can encourage them to your garden by planting spring flowers and shrubs, including buttercups, hawthorn, blackthorn, gorse and fruit trees.
2. Ladybird (Coccinellidae)
One of the best loved and most common beetles in the UK, the beautiful spotted ladybird. They are easily recognised by their bright red and black spotted wings. They are easily spotted in gardens across the UK from when they come out of hibernation at the end of March, beginning of April throughout the summer and into October.
Ladybirds are certainly one of the hungriest insects you will find in your garden, making their way through around 50 aphids a day. Great to have them in your garden doing all the pest control for you! A great natural alternative to having to spray with pesticides!
3. Common Darter Dragon Fly (Sympetrum striolatum)
One of the most common species of Dragon Fly in the UK you can find these beautiful insects mainly in England, Ireland and Wales during the months of June to November.
Adults eat anything they can, mainly preferring other flying insects to feast on. They love hanging out on walls, washing lines, vegetation, and fences. They will dart across to catch a tasty snack before heading back to their original resting place to see what they can find next.