Male wood ant Formica lugubis Hairy wood ant
Male wood ant F. lugubris Hairy wood ant. These males have dark bodies and yellow legs and genitals. Like the females, they have wings. Unlike the females, shortly after mating during the nuptial flight, they will die.
Queen ant Formica aquilonia Scottish wood ant
Queen ant F. aquilonia Scottish wood ant with wings. Newly emerged queens have wings, and following their mating and nuptial flight, they bite these off. This enables them to burrow underground and set up a new ant nest and colony, and to begin laying eggs and raising young.
Pupae and cocoon of wood ant and unsheathed pupae
Pupae of a wood ant, both within its cocoon, and extracted. Detail from a life cycle ant illustration by Lizzie Harper natural history and sciart illustrator
Larvae of wood ant
Larvae of wood ant showing their translucent bodies and segmentation.
Eggs of wood ant
Illustration of several eggs of a wood ant.
Scottish wood ant thoracic view
Detail of the thorax of the Scottish wood ant Formica aquilonia. The illustration shows distribution of hairs up to the eyes. This species is often confused with the Hairy wood ant which has longer hairs.
Chequered skipper Carterocephalus palaemon butterfly
Chequered skipper Carterocephalus palaemon butterfly illustration. Illustration ties in with the Rockingham forest “Back from the Brink” conservation project, led by Butterfly Conservation. It is also the subject of an online illustration workshop.
Nursery web spider Pisaura mirabilis
Nursery web spider Pisaura mirabilis showing mother carrying egg sac
Harvestman Opiliones species
Harvestman Opiliones species showing distinctive rounded undivided body and spindly legs
Small skipper Thymelicus sylvestris
Small skipper Thymelicus sylvestris natural history illustration on grasses
Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata diagram
Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata diagram with outstretched wing
Common or Red headed Cardinal beetle Pyrochroa serraticornis
Common or Red headed Cardinal beetle Pyrochroa serraticornis entomological illustration
Chironomid midge adult Micropsectra radialis
Chironomid midge Micropsectra radialis adult with larva. Head capsule detail reconstructed form electron microscope images of fossilized remains.
Brimstone butterfly Gonepteryx rhamni
Brimstone butterfly Gonepteryx rhamni with wings spread
Mayfly Ephemera vulgata
Mayfly Ephemera vulgata adult side view showing wing venation with markings, green body, and lack of mouth parts Perched on a stem, cut to white
Desert locust Schistocerca gregaria life cycle
Desert locust Schistocerca gregaria life cycle including early instars, hopper nymphs, egg laying, millet, and swarm in the sky
Desert locust Schistocerca gregaria on Millet
Desert locust Schistocerca gregaria on millet adult cut to white
Pond skater Gerris lacustris
Pond skater Gerris lacustris
Praying mantis Mantidae
Praying mantis Mantidae with green eyes and body, in typical prdatory watching and preying position, yellow belly, cut to white
Stonefly larva Plecoptera
Stonefly larva Plecoptera cut to white
Stick insect Carausius morosus
Stick insect Carausius morosus cut to white
Stonefly larva Plecoptera 2
Stonefly larva on dand and pebbles river or pond or stream substrate, with drop shadow
Desert locust Schistocerca gregaria
Desert locust Schistocerca gregaria cut to white sketch
Cockroach Blattodea
Cockroach Blattodea prototype with one wng extended to show body underneath, cut to white