2. Meadow invertebrates
Snails thrive in meadows
Snails are molluscs. Snails that have shells are called copepods.
Snails have no feet, which is why the move slowly. Have you ever heard the saying "slow as a snail"?
Because snails cannot run away from predators, they defend themselves by secreting slime or by hiding inside their shells.
Snails like moist environments, which is why they thrive in meadows.
Meadows also contain a lot of food for snails. Snails are herbivores. This means that they gain their energy by eating plant parts.
Earthworms live underground
Earthworms are long invertebrates that mostly live underground. They are decomposers that eat dead plant parts, such as leaves. Earthworms drag dead plant parts into their underground holes, where they eat them. They do not like to venture above the ground during the daytime, because many bird species like to eat them.
The earthworm in the picture moves quite quickly, even though it has no legs. Earthworms have no brains, but they use their sense of touch to feel their way around their environment.
Spiders have eight legs
Spiders are arachnids. They have eight legs, whereas insects have six legs.Spiders eat other animals, which means that they are predators.
Many spider species weave webs, which they use to prey on other animals. Spiders weave their webs from a threadlike substance called silk. The back of a spider's body contains spinnerets that produce silk.
A spider's web is stronger than steel. Only a few insects can escape the spider once caught in its web. Spiders often build a new web each day.
Ticks drink blood
Ticks, like spiders, belong to the class of arachnids. The most common Finnish tick species is the castor bean tick. It can feed on human blood.Ticks feed on warm-blooded animals, such as dogs and humans. They often wait for their victims in tall grasses or shrubs.
Ticks attach to the body of their new victim with their strong jaws, and begin sucking blood. Ticks use this blood as their food. When a tick has sucked itself full of blood, its belly takes on a ball-like shape.
A tickbite should be avoided, because some ticks spread diseases that are harmful to humans. This is why one should always check their skin and clothes for fleas after going for a hike in nature.
Beetles have strong wing cases
Beetles are insects that can be identified by their strong wing cases. The wing cases are located on the beetle's back. The purpose of the wing case is to protect the beetle's frail wings. Meadows are home to various kinds of beetles.
The burying beetle has two orange stripes on its back, as shown in the picture on the right. The burying beetle eats dead animals.
Longhorn beetles are colorful, long-bodied beetles, as seen in the picture in the middle. Like their name implies, they have long antennae.
They use pollen produced by meadow flowers as their source of energy.
Ground beetles are usually dark in color, as shown in the picture on the bottom right. They use their legs to run quickly on the ground. They are predators, which means that they eat other insects.
The ladybug is probably the best-known type of beetle. Most ladybug species have red wing cases with black dots.
Grasshoppers
Grasshoppers are green, relatively large insects. They have six legs. They use their strong back legs to leap across long distances.
During the summer, grasshopper can be identified by the chirring sound emitted by their males. The male grasshopper produces the sound by rubbing its back legs against its wings. The purpose of the sound is to attract female grasshoppers. Each grasshopper species has a different kind of chirring sound.
Grasshoppers have short horns, whereas bush crickets or long-horned grasshoppers have long horns.
A grasshopper and a bush cricket.
During the summer, grasshopper can be identified by the chirring sound emitted by their males. The male grasshopper produces the sound by rubbing its back legs against its wings. The purpose of the sound is to attract female grasshoppers. Each grasshopper species has a different kind of chirring sound.
Grasshoppers have short horns, whereas bush crickets or long-horned grasshoppers have long horns.
A grasshopper and a bush cricket.
Butterflies
Meadows are also home to various kinds of butterflies. Butterflies are insects that have large, colorful wings. They drink the sweet nectar produced by flowering plants and act as pollinators. Day butterflies have colorful wings. If you look at a day butterfly more closely, you can see that it is an insect with six legs and two antennae.
Moths are butterflies that fly during the night. They spend their days in hiding and begin searching for flowers when night falls. Moths are attracted to light, which is why you can use a lamp to lure moths for closer inspection.
The picture on the right shows bedstraw hawk moth.
Butterflies
Terminology
| Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| snail | A small, slimy invertebrate found in meadows. |
| earthworm | A long invertebrate that lives underground. |
| tick | A small, blood-drinking anachrid. |
| butterfly | A flying insect that usually has large, colorful wings. |