Lepidoptera
"2 pairs of membranous wings that are covered in tiny scales which overlap like shingles on a roof. A few moths are wingless"
"Mouthparts are formed into a sucking tube known as a haustellum"
Coleoptera
"They often feed on plants and fungi, break down animal and plant debris and eat other invertebrates."
"One of the most important features of Coleoptera is their ‘elytra’, the hard exoskeletal which covers their wings."
Orthoptera
"Some grasshoppers lay their eggs in the soil and then inject froth that mixes with the soil to form an egg pod."
"There are 27 native species of Orthoptera but other species are arriving in the UK as a consequence of factors such as climate change."
Hymenoptera
"Some species store the nectar, which with the evaporation of some water and the addition of enzymes from the bee's stomach, becomes what we know as honey."
"Pollen is carried home either in pollen baskets on the bee's hind pair of legs (see left), or on thick hairs on the undersides of the abdomen."
Hemiptera
"Adults usually have two pairs of wings, the front pair may be partially hardened."
"Over 82,000 species worldwide, over 8,000 in Europe, 1700 in the British Isles."
Odonata
"Large eyes with up to 30,000 ommatidia (facets)."
"Two pairs of similar wings finely veined."
Diptera
"Flies lay up to about 3,000 eggs in their lifetime of one month."
"There are over 120,000 species of flies – house flies are the most common species."
Credits:
Created with images by PublicDomainPictures - "sunset background fence" • virginie-l - "butterfly lepidoptera costa rica" • 7854 - "animal insect beetle" • francok35 - "grasshopper orthoptera insects" • francok35 - "insects hymenoptera apis" • Lennart Tange - "Hemiptera ??" • kr700 - "golden-ringed dragonfly dragonfly insect" • Mick E. Talbot - "Diptera"