Invertebrates

Nature spot is a website dedicated to recording the wildlife of Leicestershire and Rutland. While this does not include all the species found in the North Pennines, and will include some species which are not found here, this is an excellent resource to begin identifying many invertebrate groups and particularly common species found throughout the UK. Species accounts include photos, ID difficulty ratings and habitat descriptions.

Invertebrate recording in the North Pennines

The Cold-blooded and Spineless project (2015-2019) worked to increase recording of invertebrates in the North Pennines AONB, through training volunteers in species identification, and increase appreciation of invertebrates through an arts and community programme, resulting in The Great North Pennines Bug Hunt. Volunteers recorded over 9000 invertebrates through the course of the project, supporting the development of a network of 20 Special Invertebrate Sites across the North Pennines. The project also led to the creation of the Invertebrate Recording in the North Pennines AONB facebook group, where users can help one another with species identification, arrange field trips and more.

Butterflies and moths

The Butterfly Conservation website has an interactive butterfly identifier as well as an A-Z list for adult butterflies and moths and a list of Vice County Recorders to send your moth records to. UK Moths has a species account for all micro- and macro-moths, including photographs of various life-stages and brief descriptions of appearance, behaviour and habitat choice for adult and caterpillar. The Wildlife Insight website has a gallery of some of the UK’s moth and butterfly caterpillars. The North East England Branch of Butterfly Conservation has a list of recent moth and butterfly sightings in the area. The Northumberland Moths group has a search function for all moths found in the area, with species accounts including images, distribution maps, caterpillar food plants and historical abundance. The Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre (CBDC) features a Cumbria moth atlas and maps.

Dragonflies and damselflies

The British Dragonfly Society website includes an interactive dragonfly and damselfly identifier as well as an A-Z of all UK dragonflies and damselflies. Species accounts include images, distribution maps and more. The Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre (CBDC) features a Cumbria dragonfly atlas, with an interactive maps, and species accounts from Cumbrian dragonflies. The Natural History Society of Northumbria (NHSN) produced an atlas of dragonflies and damselflies found in Northumberland and Durham, which is available for download.

Bees, ants and wasps

The Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Scheme (BWARS) includes an A-Z list of all species from the UK, with species accounts including photos, distribution maps and detailed descriptions.The Bumblebee Conservation Trust (BCT) includes an interactive identifier and species accounts for all UK bumblebees, with photos, distribution maps and descriptions.

Beetles

The UK Beetles website has an A-Z index of all UK beetle species, with species accounts including close-up images and descriptions including habitat information. The Carlisle Natural History Society has a colour guide to Cumbrian ladybirds and an atlas of Cumbrian ladybirds. The oil beetle recording scheme has a guide to oil beetles in the UK, including the black oil beetle and violet oil beetle, both found in the North Pennines.

Bugs

The British Bugs website has a full gallery and species accounts for all bugs found in the UK, including photos of different life stages. The Carlisle Natural History Society has a colour guide and atlas of the shieldbugs of Cumbria.

Flies

The hoverfly recording scheme website as an A-Z species index of UK hoverflies, with distribution maps and photos. The hoverfly recording scheme Facebook page is a fantastic resource with users helping with hoverfly identifications.

Grasshopper and crickets

The Carlisle Natural History Society provides a colour guide to the grasshoppers and crickets of Cumbria.

Spiders and harvestmen

The spider and harvestmen recording scheme website has species accounts for all UK spider species, including photos.

Centipedes, millipedes and woodlice

The British Myriapod and Isopod group have species accounts for all UK centipedes, millipedes and woodlice, with photos and identification information.

Slugs and snails

The Conchological society of Great Britain and Ireland has a series of identification sheets for slugs and snails. The John Innes Centre website has a guide to some of the slugs of the UK via the Slugwatch programme.