Discovering the life beneath our feet

Andy, our resident entomologist, is also a dab hand at close-up photography. Some of the smaller creatures he finds lurking in various sites around our Local Nature Reserve turn out to be interesting rarities, either locally or nationally. This page showcases some of his recent discoveries and will be updated regularly to show his latest finds.

National recording
All Andy's finds are reported to the National Biodiversity Network, for recording on a country-wide database. This contributes to the overall picture of the insect species and populations throughout the British Isles, which can assist with taking action to improve the plight of these vital members of our ecosystem, many of which are in serious decline.

Bug hunting in Banstead Wood

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Recent finds from our site

Hover over photos to see captions. Click to enlarge.

Stag beetle

An 'Acorn' weevil

A 'Nettle' weevil.

Cream-spot Ladybird.

Opilo mollis, a rare beetle.

Cratomus megacephalus, a very rare wasp, from The Lagoon

Adonis Ladybird

Bishop's Mitre Shieldbug

Rhyzobius fosterieri, an Australian ladybird that was first found in the UK in 2014.

Theridion pinastri, a rare British spider from the site. The larva is that of a parasitic wasp.

Face to face with Britain's largest beetle, the Stag beetle.