Insects of the Aura River Valley

Insects are easy to spot anywhere, as they thrive in a wide variety of habitats. Some are large and colourful, while others are modest in colour and microscopic in size. The Aura River Valley offers excellent opportunities to spot butterflies on sunny wildflower meadows or dragonflies hunting near the river. Large beetles also easily attract attention with their impressive chitinous exoskeletons, although many beetles hide in the leaf litter during the day. Insects are known for undergoing metamorphosis during their lifecycle, typically from egg to larva and from larva to adult.

Insects are the largest biological class in terms of species diversity. Over a million species are known worldwide, with around 24,000 species recorded in Finland. Insects certainly deserve recognition. However, identifying this diverse group can feel challenging due to the sheer number of species. A good starting point for identification is at the order level, such as butterflies, dragonflies, beetles and Finland’s largest order, the hymenoptera. Recognising the order helps significantly with species identification, as the number of possibilities decreases. Sometimes, without a microscope or laboratory tools, identifying insects to the species level is not possible and the identification may remain at genus level.

Insects are an essential part of the ecosystem, acting as pollinators, decomposers, predators and food for many other animals. Pollinating insects such as bees and bumblebees are especially vital to humans, as they pollinate plants that we use for food. There are invaluable interactions between insects and plants, benefiting both groups.

Did you know: If Finland’s species were represented by a class of 30 students, 18 would be insects, 6 fungi, 2 plants and 3 various small groups such as worms and molluscs. Only 1 student would represent vertebrates, including humans as well as mammals, birds and fish. (Source: Finnish Museum of Natural History)

More information about Finnish insects is available here
Identification help for Finnish beetles is available here