 Raft Spider Superb spiders and the RSPB have even installed a bench next to one of the pools on Coombe Heath so you can sit back and watch them. The Raft Spider uses the surface tension of the water as a massive web and the moment an insect lands on it the spider springs into action. |
Araneus quadratus – the Four Spotted Orb Weaver the heaviest spider in the UK. Commonly makes a meal of grasshoppers. The heathland at Arne is a stronghold where it can be found in Gorse. |
 Southern Hawker One of our more common dragonflys found on Coombe Heath |
 Wasp Spider in the rushes around one of the pools on Coombe Heath |
 Small Tortoisehell Appears to have been a really good year for Small Tortoiseshells in southern England. Further north in Manchester I think it’ll be a few years before the population recovers after 2012’s deluge. |
 Speckled Wood |