The Grange - Fauna (Insects)

The Grange Fauna Insects

Invertebrates

Small Characters, but Important Roles

The Grange is home to many and varied forms of insects, and other invertebrate species. They are crucial to the health of the ecosystem of The Grange.

Plant Pollinators

Insects play crucial roles in plant pollination. Many of the orchid species, like those present in The Grange, have evolved complex relationships with particular insects so that they may achieve pollination.

Nature's Recyclers

There are millions of mini-beasts, which are present in the leaf litter, soil, and rotting logs in The Grange. These decomposers help break down organic matter, and recycle the nutrients for other plants to use and grow.

Eat and Be Eaten

Insects and other invertebrates are invaluable source of food for the animal life of The Grange. Many birds, bats, reptiles and frogs are dependant on them for part or all of their diet. Larger invertebrates such as spiders and dragonflies also feed on the mini-beasts.

Class Insecta, the insects are the most successful group of Arthropods. There are more species of insect in the world than in all of the other classes of animals put together. Insects are distinguished by their three pairs of legs, and usually have two pairs of wings, although some have one, and others are wingless.

Insect Classes

All insects have three body parts, the head, the thorax (where the legs are attached), and the abdomen. Their bodies are covered in a thick exoskeleton, which is made of a very tough substance called chitin. In order to grow insects, like other Arthropods, must moult, until it reaches its Adult size, and then it stops growing. Insects can and never will grow to be human size because their unique body forms could not survive.

All Insects start life as eggs. They then go through many moults and changes to reach their adult stage. Some insects start life in water, and end on the land, others have soft looking grub like stages and become hard shelled beetles.

There are many different Orders of insects in The Grange. Some of the well known ones include:

Order Lepidoptera: the moths and butterflies
Order Hymenoptera: the ants, bees and wasps
Order Coleoptera: the beetles
Order Hemiptera: bugs and cicadas
Order Odonata: the dragonflies and damsel flies
Order Diptera: mosquitos and flies.

Ants in The Grange

Ants belong to the Order Hymenoptera, along with the wasps and bees. Ants live in colonies with two reproductive members, one male and the other female, known as the queen, who lays the eggs for the colony. The rest of the colony are sterile worker ants. The worker ants undertake many different roles in the colony, such as gathering food, defending the colony, or looking after the queen and the eggs.

Ants are an excellent indicator of the health of an ecosystem. In The Grange the variety and abundance of ants is testament to the hard work put in by so many, to ensure it remains a dynamic place for fauna and flora. There are several different types of ants found in the reserve.

Bull-Dog Ants

The Bulldog ants belong to an ancient group that are only found in Australia. Here they have survived to develop into different species found widely across the continent.

Bull Ants are the largest ants found in The Grange, growing up to 4cm in length. They have a black body with a red abdomen.

Bull Ant

Jumping Jacks or Jack Jumpers grow between 2–3cm in length, are light brown with orange feelers. These ants have a rather bad reputation because their soldiers can defend their nests rather aggressively. As their name suggests they jump, and dance around. They can give a nasty bite so beware.

The Grange is also home to the Bush Ant. these are the tiny, tireless workers of the heathland. Their nests are numerous, especially in the dry sandy soils.

Butterflies and Moths

Moths and Butterflies are some of the most colourful and well-known insects. They are common in The Grange in the warmer months of the year, (see Seasonal Differences).

Butterfly Club Antennae

Feathery Moth Antennae

The main difference between a moth and a butterfly is their antennae. The butterfly has thin antennae, which has a club shaped end, whilst the moth has hairy, or feathery antennae.

The other difference between moths and butterflies is the way they hold their wings. Butterflies tend to hold their wings together, upright behind their bodies when at rest. Moths on the other hand generally hold their wings around their body or flat to the ground.

The Swift Moth Holds Its Wings Around Its Body

Both Moths and Butterflies have the same life cycle. They start life as eggs, then hatch into soft bodied caterpillars. When old enough caterpillars weave cocoons that are usually well camouflaged. Safe inside these cocoons, the caterpillars develop wings and change into the adult moth or butterfly.

In The Grange there are many different kinds of moths and butterflies. Some of them include The Australian Admiral, Imperial White, Meadow Argus, Wanderer Monarch and the Gum Leaf Skeletoniser.

Gum Leaf Skeletoniser

The caterpillars of the Gum Leaf Skeletoniser (Uraba lugens) are dark green with yellow spots, and long white hairs. These hairs may irritate the skin if picked up. The caterpillars have a characteristic spike on top of their head, which is created when old head capsules are shed, as they grow.

The Gum Leaf Skeletoniser. Note the old head capsules making a spike on its head.

Gum Leaf Partially
Skeletonised by
Uraba lugens

From late winter to summer, the caterpillars live on Eucalyptus leaves, which they skeletonise, leaving only the lacy pattern of the uneaten leaf-veins. In summer and autumn, the Gum Leaf Skeletoniser caterpillar, weaves a cocoon, and emerges as a grey-brown moth with dark zigzag pattern on its wings.

Australian Admiral

The Australian Admiral (Vanessa itea) is a lovely butterfly with a wingspan to 6.5 cm, seen flying in The Grange in the warmer months. Its wings are black on the extremes, rusty-orange closer to the body and on the lower wings. On the upper wings there are creamy patches. The caterpillar stage of this butterfly has an orange-yellow stripe down its side, and branched spines across its body.

Australian Admiral Butterfly
Vanessa itea

Imperial White

This butterfly is flutters around The Grange throughout the year, except the colder, winter months. This is a beautiful and large butterfly, with a wingspan up to 7cm across. When its wings are spread open, as pictured, the white with black-bordered side is seen. When resting with its wings held high, the red, yellow, back and white bordered side is visible.

The caterpillar is black with sparse thick white hairs. It feeds on mistletoe, a parasitic plant found on gum trees.

Imperial White Butterfly
Delias harpalyce

Meadow Argus Butterfly
Junonia villida

Meadow Argus

The caterpillar of this butterfly is fat, black and spikey. It hides at the base of the food plants during the day.

The adult is a spectacular butterfly with blue eye-spots that are rimmed black and orange. Its size of up to 5.5cm wingspan, makes this a noticeable butterfly.

Wanderer Monarch

This is a very large and impressive butterfly, growing up to 12cm in wingspan. The wings are orange with black borders, and white spots along the edges. It is seen during the warm months in The Grange. It visits different flowers such as the tea-trees, sipping their sweet nectar.

The caterpillar is also brightly coloured, being pale orange with thick black and white stripes. This colouring warns birds, and other would-be predators that is poisonous. Being poisonous it eats openly during the day, as it is not afraid of being eaten.

Wanderer Monarch
Danaus plexippus

Beetles: The Real World Leaders

Beetles are the most sucessful type of insect in the world. There are hundreds of thousands of different species of beetles in the world, tens of thousands in Australia, and many in The Grange.

Jewel beetles lay their eggs in fallen wood in summer.

Beetles belong to the order Coleoptera. This word comes from the Greek koleo- meaning sheath, and pteron meaning wing, and refers to the fact that in adult beetles, one of their sets of wings has become a hardened protective sheath.

Nature’s Recyclers

Beetle larva: often found in wood or beneath the ground feeding on tree roots.

Beetles are important for the health of The Grange. As winged adults or as grub-like larvae, they feats on wood, dung and other plant and animal matter. They break down organic matter which is used again by plants and animals.

In The Grange, a longicorn beetle with very long antennae.

It's a Bug’s Life in The Grange

Bugs are sucking insects with a mouth that can pierce stems, roots or leaves or other insects. They are divided into two orders; Hemiptera and Homoptera. Hemiptera means half wing, and these are the true-bugs. Their name refers to their leathery hind wings and the fact that the wings are sometimes absent altogether. When at rest their wings are held flat against their body.

Homoptera means same wing, and this order contains cicadas and aphids. These bugs' wings are held above their body like a slanting roof.

A Cicada in The Grange

Difference Between Bugs and Beetles

Bugs differ from beetles, in that they lack hard wing-shields. Some bugs such as the Crusader Bug, have wing covers, but they do not cover the entire wing.

The Crusader Bug

A Grange beetle with wings that are
entirely covered by a hard sheath
when resting.