Insects of the British Isles

FSC Insects of the British Isles guide is a fast reference to the main insect groups on land and water. The guide was written and illustrated by renowned natural history artist Richard Lewington

Avoiding technical jargon, this guide shows you precisely what to look out for. The insect orders include mayflies, dragonflies, stoneflies, alderflies, snakeflies, scorpionflies and true flies. Plus earwigs, cockroaches, grasshoppers, crickets, bees, wasps, ants, butterflies, moths and lacewings. But there are also antlions, silverfish, firebrats, bristletails, thrips, barklice and many others.

Insects are the most successful animals on earth. They live virtually everywhere, from the highest mountains to the hottest deserts. More than a million insect species have been described worldwide, and possibly more than five times that number are still waiting for discovery. We know there are around 24,000 insect species in Britain, with probably many more. We could not survive without insects, as they perform many essential roles. These include recycling organic matter, pollinating plants and in providing food for countless other animals.