This chap is a cockchafer There are many more insect pictures in the gallery.			Insects Wherever you are in the countryside you are never more than a few feet away from an insect. Fortunately, since this is south west Britain, virtually all of them are harmless - too warm for the Scottish midge and too cold for the tropical mosquito. But even with those omissions there are hundreds of different species of insects here, and some butterflies, moths and dragonflies that are quite rare. If entomology is your thing (we are keen!) then you'll never be bored at Springstone. We are fortunate to have both the goldring dragonfly and the emperor dragonfly species living nearby. If you are travelling up or down our lane by car then it is not uncommon to have an emperor dragonfly escort you on your journey, flying in front of your vehicle like a big metallic blue fairy. Dragonflies are one of the oldest species of creature on earth. Dating back to well before the dinosaurs, their design remains unchanged. Insects are mainstream pollinators of plantlife of course, and we do encourage bees and beekeeping wherever possible. There are seven beehives just half a mile away, the occupants of which help us out with pollination in the orchard, polytunnel and garden in general. Lots of beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, moths, butterflies, spiders, flies, ants, wasps .....