The species below are all found in the Ballybrack Woods (The Mangala), Douglas, Cork. These are not a full list of invertebrate species, but a collection that includes commonly seen species and species of particular interest.  Species names shown in green are on the Ballybrack Woods Invertebrates Information Board.

Spiders
Goldenrod Crab Spider (Misumena vatia)
Crab spiders get their name from their ability to walk sideways, as well as forwards and backwards. They don’t spin webs but rather lie in wait on flowers and other vegetation and ambush visiting insects. The Goldenrod Crab Spider can camouflage itself to blend into the particular flower or vegetation it waits on.
Earwigs
Common Earwig (Forficula auricularia)
Earwigs are nocturnal scavengers emerging at night to feed mainly on decaying plant and animal matter. The pincers at the end of the abdomen help the insect fold its hind-wings away and are used as defence against predators. Female earwigs are among the best mothers in the insect world – guarding and caring for her eggs and feeding the young when they hatch. 
Beetles
Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
 Look out for Common Red Soldier Beetles on umbellifer flowers, such as Hogweed and Cow Parsley, in July and August. They are predatory on other insects like aphids but also eat nectar and pollen. Soldier beetles are so-named because the combinations of black-and-red markings are reminiscent of a soldier’s uniform. 
22-spot Ladybird (Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata)
The 22-spot is tiny – adults are only 3mm to 4mm in length! It is one of 2 yellow ladybird beetles that can be found in Ireland. Unlike most other ladybirds which feed on aphids, the 22-spot eats mildew (fungus) growing on various plants.
7-spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata)
The 7-spot Ladybird is one of our most commonBeetles. Both adults and larvae eat aphids and can eat up to 5,000 aphids in a year. Easy to identify by counting its 7 black spots.
Spotted Longhorn Beetle (Rutpela maculata)The long “horns” of this beetle are actually its antennae which have alternating bands of black and yellow. The larvae live in and feed on rotten wood for two to three years. This is why it is so important to leave fallen trees and branches in our wild spaces where we can.  The adult beetles can be spotted between May and August feeding on pollen and nectar. 
Damselfly
Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
Male Common Blue Damselfly are blue with bands of black along the body; the female is either blue or dull green. It is common around all sorts of water bodies and can be found away from water in gardens and woodland. Males aggressively defend females when they are laying eggs.

Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum)
Mature males of this dragonfly are red while females are yellow-brown. They can be found in a variety of habitat such as lakes, ponds, canals and slow-flowing rivers but will also frequently  hunt away from the water source. Common Darters are ambush predators, waiting on perches like twigs, wire  or posts and darting after insects that fly by. 
Bees
Large Red Tailed Bumble Bee (Bombus lapidarius)
With its black body and red  abdomen, this one of our easiest bumblebees to identify. Worker females and the queen look similar, but the queen is much larger. Males typically have the red and black coloration with a yellow band around the abdomen and yellow markings on the face. 
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
A common bumblebee often found in parks and gardens. Buff-tailed Bumblebee queens are one of our largest bees. She will emerge from her hibernation site early in spring to start her new nest underground in cavities such as abandoned rodent dens.  She will need to visit up to 6000 flowers a day to get enough nectar for the energy needed to start and maintain her nest.
Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
The Common Carder Bumblebee is one of our sixmost common bumblebees, so it is a good one to look out for here in the Mangala. They nest above ground in tall, open grassland, under hedges and in piles of plant litter. The queen gathers moss and dry grass to make the covering of the nest. By leaving some long, tussocky grass areas you will help these bees find places to nest.
Red Mason Bee (Osmia bicornis)
The Red Mason Bee is one of 80 species of solitary bees found in Ireland. Solitary bees differ from honeybees and bumblebees in that they don’t form colonies with a queen and workers. Instead, each female makes her nest with a small number of little cells. In each cell she lays an egg and leaves a ball of food of pollen and nectar. The nest is then closed off and the young bees left to fend for themselves.

Orange-legged Furrow Bee (Halictus rubicundus)
One of the commonest solitary bee species in Ireland. Nests are dug into in the ground by the female who will construct 5-7 cells in which to lay eggs.  Nests may be single but where there is a good nesting site you might find lots of Orange-legged Furrow Bees nesting together.

Marsham’s Nomad Bee (Nomada marshamella) This beautiful bee is a cuckoo bee. Like the Cuckoo bird, Nomad Bees lay their eggs in the nests of other solitary bee species. When young Nomad bee hatches, it kills the mining bee larvae and eats the food stored for them. 
Flies
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
The colour patterns of the Marmalade Hoverfly make it look like a wasp – but this fly has no sting. This is a trick called Batesian Mimicry, where a harmless animal looks like a more dangerous one to protect itself from predators. The Marmalade Hoverfly is one around 180 hoverfly species that can be found in Ireland.
Pied Plumehorn (Volucella pellucens)
A large hoverfly that can be found on flowers from May to October. Females lay eggs in the nests of social wasp species where the larvae feeds on sick and dying wasp larvae, dead adults and other organic material, helping to keep the nest clean. Adults feed on nectar and pollen, making them important pollinators. 
Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
This is a large hoverfly that looks like a bee. The larvae live in water that is stagnant and low in oxygen like ditches. To help them breath use a breathing tube which can be extended like a telescope to reach the surface of the water. Adults feed on pollen and nectar and so help pollinate plants.
True Bugs
Sloe Shieldbug (Dolycoris baccarum)
Look for this handsome shieldbug on plants like Honeysuckle and Raspberries. It uses its needle-like mouthparts to pierce plants and suck the nutrient rich sap from them.

Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus)
The Dock Bug gets its name from its favourite food plants –  docks and sorrels. It has scent glands which can release smelly, irritating, volatile defensive chemicals when disturbed.
Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)
This bright green shieldbug has a dark wing membrane and the last two segments of the antennae are red and black. Some adults turn a bronze-brown colour near winter to help camouflage them during hibernation. Hedgerows are an important home for this shieldbug.
Moths
Hummingbird Hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum)
As it hovers over flowers, this day-flying moth is sometimes mistaken for a hummingbird. It uses long proboscis (tongue) to sip nectar from tube-shaped flowers. The Hummingbird Hawk-moth migrates to Ireland from Mediterranean countries in the spring. 
Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria)
This moth can be found in woods, parks, scrub, hedges and gardens. The larvae feed on deciduous trees including hawthorn and also on ivy.
Scalloped Oak (Crocallis elinguaria)
A very common yellowish moth with a brown central band. The colour of the central band can vary in intensity, but there is always a blackish spot on in middle of band towards the edge of the wings. The caterpillars look like little twigs and feed on the leaves of various trees and shrubs. 
Silver Y (Autographa gamma)
The Silver Y can often be seen flying during the daytime, but it also flies at night. The wings are dark grey, silver and brown and have a characteristic, silver, Y-shaped mark on the forewings.
Six-spot Burnet (Zygaena filipendulae)
Often found it coastal areas but also in meadows, and woodland clearings. The Six-spot Burnet is another one of our day-flying moths. The six spots are often clearly separated but sometimes they merge to form dumbbell shapes. Sometimes yellow-spotted forms occur. The caterpillars feed mainly on Common Bird’s-foot Trefoil.
Straw Grass-veneer (Agriphila straminella)
As you walk through a meadow on a sunny day you might see this moth take flight as you disturb the vegetation. It can also be found in woodland and gardens. The caterpillars feed in stems of various grasses like Sheep’s Fescue. 
Mother of Pearl (Pleuroptya ruralis)
This moth rests with its wings flat and which have a pearly sheen in certain light conditions. Caterpillars feed in rolled Nettle leaves and they overwinter in a cocoon on ground until March or April. 
Butterflies
Comma Butterfly (Polygonia c-album)
This butterfly is relatively new to Ireland – the first confirmed report of the Comma in the Republic of Ireland was in 2000. The name ‘comma’ butterfly comes from the small white C-shaped marking resembling a comma on the underside of its wings.
Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)
The Meadow Borwn can be found in almost any grassy habitat, especially where grass has been left grow higher. Adults feed on the nectar of wildflowers and caterpillars feed on a variety of grasses.
Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)
A distinctive feature of this butterfly is the necklace of deep blue spots around the edge of the wing.  Adults feed on the nectar of a wide variety of flowers while caterpillars feed mainly on Common Nettle. You can often find adults hibernating in sheds and attics and even houses.
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
This striking butterfly migrates to Ireland from southern Europe and north Africa, arriving here mainly in May and June. The caterpillars  bind nettle leaves together to form protective tent from which they emerge to feed on the nettles. 
Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines)
This butterfly is one of the earlier species to appear, so look out for adults from April. The male has the bright orange tips while females are white with black wingtips. Caterpillars feed on cuckooflower and garlic mustard plants. They also sometimes eat the eggs of unhatched orange-tips.		Male
Female