The Yellow slug is a species most associated with urban areas and people, they are easy to spot as they have a yellow body with grey patches and blue tentacles. They like to make a meal of a wide range of ornamental plants, especially newly-planted seedlings, which can be upsetting for those green fingered amongst us. It’s no wonder then that slugs have become one of the most unloved species…However, slugs are surprisingly cool creatures!

With one lung and no skeleton, slugs are gastropods, with relations to squids, mussels and – of course – snails. Unlike their shelled counterparts, slugs don’t have anything to protect their skin from drying out, which is why you’ll find them in damp conditions. If the perfect conditions can’t be found, they’ll insulate themselves under yard debris.

Gastropod literally translates to stomach foot, which is pretty indicative of a slug’s anatomy and, well, their whole personality… they move slowly and are scavengers, eating any decaying matter (plants, leaf litter, fungus, and animal droppings) and recycling it back into the soil, which makes it richer and healthier. Many gardeners have a love-hate relationship with these slimy creatures, more siding on the hate, however slugs are much more likely to take a bite from plants that are already damaged or diseased rather than your healthy ones. They’ll also keep other harmful pests away from your flowers, by eating maggots and other insect larvae.

You’d think that, by lacking the most basic anatomy, worms wouldn’t be much good for anything. However, they’re incredibly well adapted to their role in the ecosystem.

Instead of eyes, they use receptor cells to recognize patterns of light, and can taste their surroundings through chemical stimuli called chemoreceptors. They don’t even have lungs, worms actually just breath through their skin – so they have to stay moist else they’ll suffocate. Pretty impressive. What’s even more impressive, is they have 5 hearts! Their skin is also coated in tiny little hairs called setae, which are actually very strong and allow worms to stick to things. That’s why it can be hard to pull them out of the ground.

Worms are truly a gardener’s best friend, as they create rich healthy soil with their worm castings, which are full of nutrients. Without their contribution, your plants would probably look a little less perky and your garden a little less alive.

Wasps are in no way a family favourite, there is absolutely nothing worse than a wasp disrupting an otherwise peaceful summer day. However, they are important pollinators and control a number of pests!

Common wasps live in large groups. Their nests are made out of a paper-like material which is formed by the queen by  chewing up wood mixed with saliva! These colonial nests have a very intricate structure, with drones and workers protecting the founding queen, who originally creates the nest and starts the colony at the start of summer (when she lays her eggs, producing 3000-8000 larvae.) The workers are smart enough to monitor the health of new wasps and will choose the healthiest to prioritise and feed more, with the hopes of it becoming the future queen.

The reality is that they are crucial in our ecosystem for the survival of many plants. They are incredible pollinators, ensuring the survival of over 100 types of orchids, and they are great for pest control as they feed small bugs to their larvae - including whiteflies, aphids and greenflies – thereby removing many disease-carrying insects from the ecosystem. Adult wasps only eat nectar and other foods that are high in sugar, which is why they are such great pollinators as they move from plant to plant. Their search for sugar also makes them brilliant decomposers, as they love nothing more than fallen rotting fruit as a snack.

All in all, wasps are crucial for the health of our ecosystem.

House spiders are particularly widespread throughout autumn, when the male is on the lookout for a female. They will eat most common pests that find their way through the cracks in the walls – roaches, fleas, flies, and mosquitos are common delicacies for your average spider visitor. This means spiders actually stop the spread of disease by stopping the carriers themselves.

So, you can thank spiders for your relatively bug-free home!

They also play a big role in the ecosystem, as they eat the bugs that would otherwise eat our crops. In fact, according to spider expert Norman Platnick, we would find ourselves in a famine without them.

Oh, and by the way, conkers don’t keep them out your house…it’s just a myth…

From the scarabaeidae family, the cockchafer (Melolontha) is a type of beetle bug found all over England. You might know them as the may bug or doodlebug. A small but bulky looking beetle with distinctive fan-shaped antennae, you might not take much time to notice them.

However, look a little closer and you’ll be able to appreciate just how beautiful they are, their intricate bodies are enchanting to look at and are great for perfecting your photography skills.

Although they might mess up your garden a little as they rummage through foliage, they won’t bother you that much. They come out when the sun has set, usually around May – hence the name may bug – and you’ll probably hear their characteristic buzzing sound.

The common earwig plays the role of sanitary engineer in the ecosystem.

Their main purpose is cleaning up the environment by feeding on decaying plant material, helping to break it down so nutrients can enter the soil. Earwigs will also eat insects and they certainly aren’t fussy, they’ll eat the insects even whilst they’re still alive!

They may not be your best friend if you own a greenhouse, as they can become real pests and damage your budding plants, however generally speaking they’ll leave you alone, preferring to retreat in the recluse of mulch and decaying leaves, or under rocks and logs during the day.