Tags
British insects, Dolycoris baccarum, Green shieldbug, insect behaviour, insects on teasels, Palomena prasina, Sloe shieldbug, Teasel
This is the sight that greeted me as I wandered home through Dingle Park the other day.
A Sloe shieldbug (Dolycoris baccarum) had its head buried deeply into the gaps between the spines of a teasel flower head. The tiny purple flowers had finished so it wasn’t nectaring, and I would’ve thought the flower head too tough for it to be sucking plant sap, so what on earth was it doing?
This little Green shieldbug nymph (Palomena prasina), watching from a nearby grass stem (you can see it in the background of the first image), looked as confused and bemused as I was.
After a few minutes, the Parent bug backed out of its spiny possie but it didn’t move from the teasel.
This was a good opportunity to get a photo of the underside of the bug … but I never did discover what it had been doing.
theresagreen said:
Maybe he was just trying to hide from you, you know, like kids do when they cover their eyes & think you can’t see them! Super pics.
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sconzani said:
Good thought, Theresa, but he was doing it before I came along. 🙂
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Pete Hillman said:
They are such great bugs to see, Annie. I came across some the other day on a local walk. Great photos!
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sconzani said:
Thanks a lot, Pete. 🙂
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Val said:
Maybe trying to get free? I love shield bugs, they’re so cute – until they decide to jump onto your face when you’re up close looking at them!
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sconzani said:
I think it could move about in there quite freely, Val, so there was smething attracting it. Maybe the bottom is the sweetest bit.
I’ve never had one jump at me.
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pilipala51 said:
Another one of life’s little mysteries 🙂
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sconzani said:
Exactly. Wouldn’t it be boring without them?
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