Great Red Sedge

• Caddisflies are the only group of aquatic insects to have made silk a central part of their way of life, and that innovation explains why they are the most species-rich order of aquatic insects: some 14,500 described in 45 families.
• Each larva builds its own portable case from silk and material off the bottom, and drags it along as it feeds.
• They are related to the Lepidoptera: butterflies and caddisflies share a common ancestor.
• It is the largest caddisfly in the British Isles; the female, larger than the male, has a dark band on the forewing that he lacks.
• The larva builds itself a portable cylindrical case from plant fragments arranged in a spiral and glued with waterproof silk produced by a gland in its lower lip.
• The cases of its family reach 30 mm, among the largest of any caddisfly.
• It has a single generation a year and lives less than twelve months.

Skeleton type

Invertebrate - chitin exoskeleton (insect)

Habitat and environment

Fresh water with vegetation, where the larva builds its case. The adults are entirely terrestrial and nocturnal in habit

Sources consulted: Wikipedia (Trichoptera) · Picture Insect · Fauna Europaea

Best time: From spring to summer, at nightfall and near water