Wild Dover! Discovering Dover's Wildlife with Phil Eyden

Wild Dover! Discovering Dover's Wildlife with Phil Eyden

On this page Phil Eyden will be informing visitors about Dover's other residents - yes wildlife. The area is rich in wildlife due to being located in the Area of Outstounding Natural Beauty known as the North or Kent Downs. This area meets the sea at Dover, the famous White Cliffs and there are numerous habitats surrounding the town that are a home for these fascinating creatures.

Many thanks to Phil Eyden for supplying the images and information for this section.

Phil has a fossil and cephalopod history website at http://www.tonmo.com/science/fossils/fossilsjump.php which is part of "The Octopus News Magazine Online (TONMO) website at www.tonmo.com

Phil explains more...

Zebra Spider (Salticus scenicus)

Taken in my backgarden in Balfour Road, Dover this morning. This jumping spider was about 7mm long and hunts by jumping onto its prey.

Zebra Spider

In Back Garden, Dover

Large Hoverfly (Volucella zonaria) Photographed in Balfour Road. This is a very large scavanging hoverfly with very bright colours.

Seven Spot Ladybird

Seen at Samphire Hoe

7-Spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctuata) Photographed at Samphire Hoe.

A fly

seen in Dover

House flies (Musca domestica) Two pictures, both from Balfour Road. The blob the fly is carrying in the front view is a ball of digestive juices. The fly will drop this on food, dissolve it and suck it back up. (See further down page.)

House Spider (Tegenaria domesticus)

Large spider also photographed in my backgarden, length about 50mm. This is a female; it hunts by spinning a triangular horizontal non-sticky web which entangles small insects, whilst the adult awaits in a tubular retreat in one corner.

House Spider

Seen in Balfour Road, Dover

Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus) This is a male photographed at Balfour Road. It measures about 15mm.

Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) Photographed in Connaught park

Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) Photographed at Bushy Ruff yesterday. Length 35mm, very common around ponds.

Rose Chafer (Lucanus cervus) Photographed at Samphire Hoe. A beautiful green scarab beetle.

Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)

Female about 12mm. Common orb-web spider photographed in my garden in Balfour Road.

Meadow Grasshopper

At Elms Vale

Speckled Bush-cricket (Leptophyes punctatissima) (below) This is a female, the males have a broader brown stripe running down the back. Photographed in the valley above Elms Vale.

Speckled Wood Butterfly (Pararge aegaria) Photographed above Elms Vale valley, wingspan 40mm. (see above)

Marbled Cobweb Spider (Enoplognatha ovata) LABELLED on the picture under it's latin name of Enoplognatha ovata

Photographed in Connaught Park eating a hoverfly. This is a common spider in bramble bushes, and spins a loose three-dimensional scaffold web. It sometimes comes in plain cream or red colours, length about 25mm.

Small Skipper Butterfly (Thymelicus sylvestris) Photographed at Cowgate cemetary, wibngspan 28mm. Skippers tend to hold their wings back at rest unlike most betterflies which hold them vertically.

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