Great diving beetle (Dysticus marginalis)
The great diving beetle is a common aquatic beetle found throughout the UK, around 1.5 inches long. The female has grooved elytra (wing cases), whereas in the male they are smooth.
This beetle is a top predator in small waterbodies with lots of edge vegetation and few fish. They feed on smaller insects, tadpoles, fish fry and even each other.
They fly at night to colonise new ponds, and are sometimes attracted to smooth shiny surfaces such as patios and car roofs, mistaking it for water.
Can be seen from April to October.
Common green shieldbug (Palomena prasina)
The UK has around 30 species of shieldbug. This one is one of the most easily identified of the true bugs (insects with sucking/piercing mouthparts), they live on trees and shrubs, feeding on plant sap. They are well camouflaged to protect them from birds and other predators. Unlike aphids, they do very little damage to garden plants.
The young - nymphs - look like miniature versions of the adults. The adults are sometimes found early in the season, as they overwinter under the bark of trees, and sometimes in sheds and other outbuildings.
Can be seen from April to October.
Ground-ivy (Glechoma hederacea)
A common spring wildflower, found beside verges, hedgerows and gardens around Chippenham. Despite its name, it is more closely related to mint than ivy. It was once used in place of hops to flavour beer due to its pleasant aroma.
Ground-ivy is very popular with pollinators, especially bees, and the leaves are eaten by moth species. They are also edible, and can be made into tea, so it is worth tolerating in your garden.
April 2025
The dark-edged bee-fly (Bombylius major) is a common and noisy fly that can be seen on sunny spring days feeding from flowers such as Aubretia and Pulmonaria (lungwort).
Their larvae live in the nests of solitary bees, and feed on the bees' larvae. Don't worry though, the numbers are limited by the numbers of their hosts. More bee-flies = more bees!
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