The variety of creatures in the reserve that fall into this category of insects, spiders and scorpions is enormous! Unfortunately, we rarely notice them until they begin to bother us, or in some cases, scare us. Because they are hard to spot, and the focus is more often on the bigger mammals and repltiles, we are only now starting to gather a library of articles on them – so please share your pictures and stories with us!

It is often forgotten how important Insects  are to an ecosystem, as they aerate the soil, pollinate blossoms, and control insect and plant pests. Many insects, such as beetles, are scavengers, feeding on dead animals and fallen trees, recycling nutrients back into the soil.

Spiders eat the agricultural pests—such as aphids, grasshoppers, leafhoppers, beetles, and caterpillars—that feed on the crops that we harvest for food.  They are also prey for other animals, further adding to their ecological importance, and for the rest of us, they also snack on those pesky flies and mosquito’s that plague humans!

For many people, Scorpions are considered to be highly venomous and are killed on sight. The Reserve has been proud to host our famous Scorpion Walks with Jonathan Leeming for the past few years, so check out our events page for the next one and help us get some amazing pics and articles going for this part of the website!

Visit www.jonathanleeming.com to access some amazing resources with over 70 posters for download and information on some of his new projects.