Spot pretty critters

Create a warmer welcome for these beautiful mini beasts, says Adrian Thomas. Here’s a helpful ID guide to sort the naughty from the nice

Critters, minibeasts, creepy crawlies, bugs – none of the words used to describe the smaller creatures that live in our gardens makes them sound particularly appealing. To add to their image problem, many are definitely on the ugly end of the spectrum, maybe having long legs or coarse hairs or goggle eyes. Plus there’s often something about the way they move that puts us off because it’s usually with a slither or scuttle. Part of the problem in finding affection for them is how small they are compared to us. We are programmed to love things that are around the size of a human baby, hence our pets are dogs, cats and rabbits rather than beetles or centipedes. The other problem is that if you can’t put a name to a creature and don’t really understand what it does, it’s easy to imagine it’s up to no good. The tendency is to think that they want to

get into your hair or ears or clothing, or bite or sting you or nibble your favourite plants, or they’re carrying dirt and germs. We don’t tend to trust the things we don’t know. But if you open your mind and put your preconceptions aside you might agree with me that some are actually quite stunning in appearance and attractive to more than just their own mothers! With a little bit of close focus, and by understanding their lifestyles, it all helps to piece together nature’s jigsaw. These creatures call our gardens home as much as we do, and may even have been the original occupants before our house was plonked on top of theirs. And if you still don’t find them attractive, I dare you to show the pictures – or even better the real thing – to a child. Somehow, the curiosity and openness of youth finds beauty and fascination throughout the miniworld, and maybe that’s something we all can learn from.

If we can’t put a name to a creature it’s easy to assume they’re up to no good