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Kent - Bumblebees & Crickets
Tour Code: GBR305A 3-day holiday visiting some of Kent's best areas in search of their fascinating invertebrates and other wildlife.
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
The first in our upcoming new series of specialist entomology tours, suitable for beginners through to experienced naturalists, this fascinating 3-day holiday visits the relatively warm and dry south-east corner of England, which provides habitats and climatic conditions that favour some of our larger and more spectacular invertebrates. South-facing chalk downland harbours the endangered Wart-biter (Decticus verucivorus), the unique shingle ridges of the Dungeness peninsula is a refuge for some of our rarest bees and many other invertebrates, while the closeness to the European continent makes it a fertile ground for finding newly colonising species and scarce migrants.
Compared to the larger and more conspicuous vertebrates, the insects have been rather neglected by both conservation and naturalists, especially outside the butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera), and dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata). On this tour we will visit some of the best areas to get to know some of the less well-known, yet fascinating invertebrates. At Dungeness we will focus on the diversity of bumblebees, especially the scarce species that require extensive habitats and abundant flowering plants to survive. Also discovered here in recent years are several cricket species that have naturally colonised the developing scrub on the shingle. We certainly won’t be ignoring the Lepidoptera, the chalk downland of Kent has special species, or Odonata with Dungeness being a good place to find migrant species. The flowering plants of this unique habitat are also fascinating, with several species scarcely found outside this small corner of England.
For more detailed information, please download the tour itinerary above.
- Grasshoppers and crickets including the rare and spectacular Wart-biter and some recently discovered species
- The best diversity of bumblebees in Britain including Large Garden Bumblebee and Shrill Carder Bee
- A great chance for the wonderful Pantaloon Bee
- Scarce downland butterflies
- A chance for exciting migrant dragonflies and damselflies
- Specialist flora of the Dungeness shingle
Outline Itinerary
What's Included?
- Accommodation:
An award-winning coastal hotel built in 1929, the architect of which was Sir Clough Williams-Ellis (28 May 1883 – April 1978), the creator of the Italianate Portmeirion in North Wales.
- Food:
Breakfast and four-course evening meals are included in the holiday price. Vegans and vegetarians are easily catered for. Lunches, taken at a nearby pub or restaurant, are not included and will offer a choice between a hearty lunch or something much lighter.
Why Naturetrek?
At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:
- The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
- Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
- Outstanding value and exceptional customer service
Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!
