The following documents an ongoing attempt to identifying the insects (and Spiders and Worms). The initial list was compiled by Matt Plenty, with thanks.
(All photos taken at OPS.)
Jump to Grasshoppers and Crickets Jump to Butterflies Jump to Moths
Jump to Flies Jump to Wasps Jump to Bees
Jump to Beetles Jump to Spiders Jump to Worms and Ants
Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) Annual

Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) Annual
Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella) Annual

Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans) Annual

Small
Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma viridulum) Infrequent
since first seen on 23/7/14 (The small black
'x' at the end of the tail is diagnostic)

Southern
Hawker (Aeshna cyanea) Annual

Migrant
Hawker (Aeshna mixta) Annual

Emperor
(Anax imperator) Annual

Four-spotted
Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata)
Infrequent

Broad-bodied
Chaser (Libellula depressa)
Annual (male, left, and female, right, below)

Black-tailed
Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum)
Infrequent (photo on right below is a very old female – patterns dull with
age)

Common
Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) Annual

Ruddy Darter (Sympetrum sanguineum) (photo on right below is a female - photo by TK)

Lesser Emperor

Yellow-winged Darter (Sympetrum flaveolum) BRERC record, 14/8/95. Rare migrant.
Emerald Damselfly Reported in 90's (info. from Martin Hayes).
Southern Migrant Hawker- rare migrant - photo on left below is a male (by Heather England), and on right is female (by Mark Coller). Amazingly seen mating ! Aug 2023

Hairy Dragonfly - photos by Matt Plenty, showing hairs. April 2024

Field Grasshopper
Meadow Grasshopper

Lesser Marsh Grasshopper
Oak Bush-cricket (Aug '25)

Short-winged Conehead (9/7/23, MP)

Long-winged Conehead (20/10/13)

Great Green Bush-Cricket
Roesel’s Bush-Cricket (Annual since 2014)

Dark Bush-cricket (BRERC record, 18/06/02)
Speckled Bush-cricket (BRERC record, 20/07/08)
Small
Skipper Annual

Essex
Skipper Annual since 19/7/11

Large
Skipper Annual

Grizzled Skipper (Regularly seen in 1980s and one seen 1.6.12)
Dingy Skipper (80s and 90s)
Clouded Yellow Annual - usually along the seawall, by Lagoons 1 & 2

Brimstone Annual
Large White Annual
Small White Annual
Green-veined White Annual

Orange Tip Annual
Green Hairstreak in hedge between Lagoons 1 and 2 (29/4/06)

Purple
Hairstreak (5/7/14 and seen annually since
2015 along main rhine)

White-letter Hairstreak BRERC record, 7/7/93
Holly Blue Annual

Brown
Argus Infrequent/ scarce

Common
Blue Annual

Small
Copper Annual (male on left, female on right, in photos below)

Also form caeruleopunctata - Small Copper with a row of blue spots
inside the orange border, 1/10/2018 & 29/7/21

Red
Admiral Annual

Painted
Lady Annual

Small
Tortoiseshell Annual but increasingly scarce

Peacock Annual
Comma
Annual

Marbled
White Common/ Annual in 80s and 90s, now infrequent/ scarce

Speckled
Wood Annual

Wall Infrequent/ scarce. Not seen since 90s.
Gatekeeper Annual

Meadow
Brown Annual
Small Heath Annual

Ringlet

Silver-washed Fritillary along main rhine/meadow in Aug 2019

Shaded Broad-bar Scotopteryx cheopodiata

Red underwing, 16/8/2008

Drinker (caterpillar), 31/05/08

Large
Yellow Underwing, 3 Aug 2008

Latticed
Heath, 14/8/04

Silver-Y,
17/7/06

Streamer, 17/4/09.

Blue-bordered Carpet, 3/7/10

Common Carpet, 22/6/19

Silver-ground Carpet, 20.5/21

Orange Underwing, 3/9/11
Magpie Moth, 27/8/12

Oak Eggar - large brown/orange males fly in day in summer (caterpillar,
9/5/14, big female in light-trap, 13/8/21)

Small Eggar - Lagoon 3, 1st July 2023

Brimstone Moth, 29/8/17

Mottled Umber, 16/12/2016

Six-spot Burnet

Five-spot Burnet

Lackey – hairy caterpillars in silk 'tents' around Lagoon 2

Cocksfoot – only 3mm long !

Brown-tail

Yellow-tail (do not touch caterpillars - irritant hairs !)

Hummingbird Hawkmoth
Plum Tortrix

Eyed Hawkmoth - in orchard, June 2020

Jersey Tiger - Lagoon 2, July 2025

Scarlet Tiger - Lagoon 2, June 2020

Swallow-tailed - along shore, July 2020 & moth-trap July 2021

Mottled Beauty
Water Veneer - moth-trap Aug 2021

Elephant Hawkmoth - very large caterpillar.

Fox Moth caterpillar

Winter Moth caterpillar - in orchard
Common Nettle-tap

Companion Moth

Green Longhorn







Large Red-belted Clearwing (9/7/2018 in orchard, to pheromone lure, Ben Ofield)

The following 33 species were added to the OPS list when a light-trap was put in the orchard overnight on 23/7/21. (And another 9 species already on the OPS list also seen.)
Aceleris Forsskaleana (Tortrix sp.)

Bird-cherry Ermine

Black Arches - 2 (m + f)


Bufftip

Carcina Quercana (prob)
Cloaked Minor

Clouded Silver

Codling Moth

Common Emerald

Common Footman - 20+
Common Quaker
Common Wainscot - 2

Dark Arches

Dingy Footman - 3+

Dun-bar - 2

Early Thorn

Eudotricha Fammealis

Gypsonoma Aceriana

Nut-tree Tussock - 2

Oak Hook tip

Pale Prominent - 2

Pebble Prominent

Privet Hawkmoth


Riband Wave

Rosy Footman - 4

Ruby Tiger - 3

Scalloped Oak

Small Emerald

Straw Underwing

Striped Wainscot

Willow Beauty - 2

White-spotted Pug.

The following 12 species were added to the OPS list when a light-trap was put in the orchard again overnight on 13/8/21. (And another 4 species already on the OPS list also seen.)
Orange Swift
The following 27 species are from old BRERC records. Teasel Marble 20/7/2008 Yellow-spot Twist 20/7/2008 Common Marble 20/7/2008 Rhomboid Tortrix 14/9/2001 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer 14/9/2001 Long-horned Flat-body 14/9/2001 Sallow 14/9/2001 Bordered Carl 14/9/2001 Light Brown Apple Moth 14/9/2001 Rosy Rustic 14/9/2001 Snout 14/9/2001 Pear Leaf Blister Moth 14/9/2001 Apple Leaf Minor 14/9/2001 Skin Moth 14/9/2001 Smoky Wainscot 14/9/2001 Flame Shoulder 14/9/2001 Lunar Underwing 14/9/2001 Hawthorn Slender 14/9/2001 Barred Sallow 14/9/2001 Pale Eggar 14/9/2001 Setaceous Hebrew Character 14/9/2001 Square-spot Rustic 14/9/2001 Sulphur Pearl 13/8/96 Straw Grass-veneer 4/8/94 Narrow Bordered Five-spot Burnet 4/8/94 Cinnabar 20/7/08 Light Brocade, dead in bird hide, 1/7/96 The following 67 species are from old BRERC records of a Light session. Common Cloaked Shoot 28/7/2008 Ermine Knot-horn 28/7/2008 Scarce Footman 28/7/2008 Bud Moth 28/7/2008 Knapweed Conch 28/7/2008 Cloaked Minor 28/7/2008 Garden Grass-veneer 28/7/2008 Black-headed Conch 28/7/2008 Barred Grass-veneer 28/7/2008 Thistle Ermine 28/7/2008 Grey Knot-horn 28/7/2008 Bordered Marble 28/7/2008 Chalk Knot-horn 28/7/2008 Satin Grass-veneer 28/7/2008 Bulrush Veneer 28/7/2008 Pebble Hook-tip 28/7/2008 Plain Conch 28/7/2008 Rustic 28/7/2008 Timothy Tortrix 28/7/2008 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 28/7/2008 Common Yellow Conch 28/7/2008 Dusky Sallow 28/7/2008 Garden Carpet 28/7/2008 Rosy Conch 28/7/2008 Shuttle-shaped Dart 28/7/2008 Heart & Club 28/7/2008 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix 28/7/2008 Ribwort Slender 28/7/2008 Tawny Speckled Pug 28/7/2008 Ling Pug 28/7/2008 Brindled Flat-body 28/7/2008 Lime-speck Pug 28/7/2008 Little Conch28/7/2008 Spindle Ermine28/7/2008 Brown-spot Flat-body 28/7/2008 Large Clover Case-bearer 28/7/2008 Single-dotted Wave 28/7/2008 Small Blood-vein 28/7/2008 Double-striped Pug28/7/2008 Inlaid Grass-veneer 28/7/2008 Rosy Tabby 28/7/2008 Smoky-barred Marble 28/7/2008 Dark Dagger 28/7/2008 Uncertain 28/7/2008 Purple Bar 28/7/2008 Clay 28/7/2008 Small Grey 28/7/2008 Red Twin-spot Carpet 28/7/2008 Wainscot Smudge 28/7/2008 Dotted Oak Knot-horn 28/7/2008 Double-square Spot 28/7/2008 Hoary Belle 28/7/2008 Blood-vein 28/7/2008 Lesser-spotted Pinion 28/7/2008 Diamond-back Moth 28/7/2008 Orange Crest 28/7/2008 Cabbage Moth 28/7/2008 Bulrush Cosmet 28/7/2008 Grey Tortrix 28/7/2008 Common Rustic 28/7/2008 Mother of Pearl 28/7/2008 Purple Argent 28/7/2008 Copper Ermel28/7/2008 Apple Ermine 28/7/2008 Pale-streak Grass-veneer 28/7/2008 Ghost Moth 28/7/2008 Marbled Bell 28/7/2008 White-headed Ermel 28/7/2008 Daddy
Long legs Tupulidae oleracea Spotted Crane Fly (Nephrotoma appendiculata, BRERC record, 2/5/91) Symplecta stictica - a small crane fly (BRERC record, 2/5/91) Long-legged
fly Poecilobothrus nobilatus *Eristalinus sepulchralis
(localised/ declining hoverfly sp. associated
with wetlands. One of only 2 sp of hoverfly that have
'spotted eyes'.) *Tropidea scita (local hoverfly
sp., found in reedbeds) Scaeva pyrastri Helophilus pendulus (Sun Fly) Volucella pellucans Volucella zonaria - Hornet Hoverfly Eupeodes luniger Eristalis tenax Marmalade
fly Rhingia campestris Eristalis intricaria Snipe
fly Rhagio scolopacea Dotted
Bee fly Bombylius discolour Dark-edged
Bee fly Bombylius major Empis tessellate Mesembrina meridian Greenbottle Drone-fly Semaphore Fly St. Mark's Fly Twin-lobbed Deerfly Black-horned Gem Fly Waisted Beegrabber Common Conopid Two-banded Wasp Hoverfly (Chrysotoxum Bicinctum) Stripe-faced Dronefly (Eristalis Nemorum) Graphomya maculata Banded General (Stratiomys potamida) Picture-winged Fly (Euleia heraclei) Helophilus trivittatus (BRERC record, 18/6/02) Leucozona lucorum (BRERC record, 18/6/02) Volucella bombylans (BRERC record, 18/6/02) Adia cinerella (BRERC record, 2/5/91) Anthomyia liturata (BRERC record, 2/5/91) Botanophila fugax (BRERC record, 2/5/91) Botanophila striolata/discreta agg. (BRERC record, 2/5/91) Turnip Maggot Fly - Delia florilega (BRERC record, 2/5/91) Seedcorn Maggot Fly/Bean Seed Fly - Delia platura (BRERC record, 2/5/91) Dicranomyia mitis (BRERC record, 2/5/91) Hylemya variata (BRERC record, 2/5/91) Pegoplata infirma (BRERC record, 2/5/91) Tricyphona immaculata (BRERC record, 2/5/91) Pegomya bicolor (BRERC record, 2/5/91) Broad Centurion, Chloromyia formosa (BRERC record, 20/7/08) Notch-horned Clegg, Haematopota pluvialis (BRERC record, 20/7/08) German Scorpionfly Lacewings Common Green Lacewing Alder
fly Common
wasp Hornet Conops quadrifasciata Oak Marble Gall
Wasp (Andricus kollari) Acorn or Knopper
Gall Wasp (Andricus quercuscalicis) Rose Gall Wasp
(Diplolepsis Rosae) Crown Gall (caused by Bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens) - here on Sallow Fig Gall (caused by an aphid called Tetraneura ulmi.) - on Wych Elm Willow Blister Gall (probably caused by Willow Redgall Sawfly (Pontania proxima) or Willow Apple Gall Sawfly.) - on Grey Willow Turnip Sawfly Tenthredopsis Litterata Gasteruption Jaculator Gasteruption Assectator Yellow Ophion (Ophion Luteus) Orange-legged Darwin Wasp (Pimpla rufipes) Orange-brown Darwin Wasp (Orphion scutellaris), March 2023 Hedgerow Darwin Wasp (Heteropelma amictum), Aug 2025 Black-tipped Darwin Wasp (Enicospilus ramidulus), Sept 2025 Hogweed Fly Fox (Ectemnius Lituratus) Field Digger Wasp (Mellinus Arvensis) Loosestrife Sawfly - feeding on Yellow Loosestrife. probable Social Pear Sawfly
Bulrush Wainscot

Thicket Knot-horn (Acrobasis Suavenella)

Copper Underwing

Grey Dagger

Ear Moth

Crescent

Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Mocha

Swallow Prominent

Lesser/Common Rustic agg.

Crambus sp. (very faded)

Crane-flies (aka Daddy-Long-Legs)
Diptera - True Flies






















Wasps


















Elm Zigzag Sawfly (found by Louise Bailey, Aug 2025) - Asian invasive.

Bee-wolf


Heather colletes Colletes succinctus (probably this sp. Seen near gate to shore on lag 3 many times in 2018. Fast flying and very difficult to photograph).
*Large Meadow Mining bee Andrena labialis
Tawny
Mining bee Andrena
fulva

Patchwork Leafcutter bee
Gwynnes Mining bee Andrena bicolor
Red-tailed Cuckoo bee
Buff-tailed Bumblebee
White-tailed Bumblebee
Red-tailed Bumblebee

Common carder Bumblebee
Brown-banded Carder Bee (queen on right below), Lagoon 3 in 2022


Early Bumblebee
Hairy footed flower bee
Honey bee

Goodan's Nomad bee

Flavous Nomad bee

Lathbury's Nomad Bee
Hawthorn
Mining Bee Andrena chrysosceles

Orange-tailed
Mining Bee Andrena haemorroa

Yellow-legged
Mining Bee Andrena flavipes

Ashy
Mining Bee Andrena cineraria
Grey-banded Mining Bee (Andrena denticulata)

Red Mason Bee Osmia bicornis

Grey-patched
Mining Bee Andrena nitida

Long-horned Bee (female and male below)


Wilke's Mining Bee

Violet Ground Beetle
7-spot Ladybird
10-spot Ladybird

24-spot Ladybird

14-spot Ladybird - Oct 2004, Jul 2023(MP)

Harlequin – invasive species

Swollen-thighed Beetle (male left, female right, below)

Soldier Beetle

Red Soldier Beetle

Aphodiini quadrimaculatus, a small Dung Beetle

Paederus littoralis, a predatory Beetle

Lagria Hirta

Giant Diving Beetle - in pond by Lagoon 2
Common Leaf Weevil

Apple Twig Cutter Weevil - Involvulus icosandriae

Red-headed Cardinal Beetle

Lesser Stag Beetle

Supertramp (a Water Beetle) - rhantus suturalis

Two species of small Water Beetle/Beetle


Two species of Water Boatman


Elm Bark Beetle
Agonum Muelleri

Green Tortoise Beetle, Cassida viridis (BRERC record, 20/7/08)
Agonum emarginatum (BRERC record, 2/5/91)
Amara communis (BRERC record, 2/5/91)
Bembidion lunulatum (BRERC record, 2/5/91)
Bembidion obtusum (BRERC record, 2/5/91)
Paranchus albipes (BRERC record, 2/5/91)
Poecilus cupreus (BRERC record, 2/5/91)
Pterostichus strenuus (BRERC record, 2/5/91)
Alder Leaf Beetle

Wasp Beetle

Black-and-Yellow Longhorn Beetle

Rufous-shouldered Longhorn Beetle

Soronia grisea

Yellow-haired Click Beetle - first for S. Gloucs., on saltmarsh logs at Shepperdine

Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn Beetle

Willow Flea Beetle

Frog-hoppers
Red and Black Froghopper Cercopis vulnerata (very common in long grass all around OPS)

Leaf-hoppers
Eared Leafhopper

Bugs
Common Damsel Bug

Red Spotted Plantbug

Dock Bug

The following 15 species are from old BRERC records.
Common Flower Bug (Anthocoris nemorum) 20/7/2008
Parent Bug (Elasmucha grisea) 20/7/2008
Lucerne Bug (Adelphocoris lineolatus) 20/7/2008
Timothy Grassbug (Stenotus binotatus) 20/7/2008
Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina) 20/7/2008
Meadow Plant Bug (Leptopterna dolabrata) 20/7/2008
Mirid Bug (Deraeocoris ruber) 20/7/2008
Dicyphus epilobii 20/7/2008
Heterotoma planicornis 20/7/2008
Liocoris tripustulatus 20/7/2008
Myrmus miriformis 20/7/2008
Notostira elongata 20/7/2008
Oedemera lurida 20/7/2008
Stenodema laevigata 20/7/2008
Dyschirius tristis 2/5/91
Enoplognatha ovata
Crab Spider

Zebra Spider
Nurseryweb Spider, Pisaura mirabalis

Harvestman - Phalangium opilio

Red Spider-mite
Cucumber Spider - Araniella cucurbitina

Common Earthworm
Ragworm - see note 1 below
Capitella spp.(worms of estuary mud) - see note 1 below
Note 1 - identified in 'Severn Estuary SAC and SPA:Intertidal Mud & Sandflats Condition Assessment 2012'
publications.naturalengland.org.uk/file/4717872094380032
Banded Centipede

Common Earwig
Black Ant
Common Red Ant

No. of species = 419
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