18 Tuesday Jan 2022
Here’s another recent surprise find, a Common green shieldbug (Palomena prasina) covered in early morning dewdrops. Obviously, it’s not green: these bugs overwinter as adults, changing their colouring from green to dark brown before the winter weather really sets in, usually around November. The British bugs website says these shieldbugs usually hibernate – perhaps this little beastie was caught out by the previously milder-than-usual temperatures.
21 Tuesday Dec 2021
Posted in insects
September was the month I saw my first huddle of Parent bug nymphs, and incredibly cute it was too. I’d only seen the adult bug a couple of times before that, so I was rather pleased to spot another in late October (below right). There is really quite a striking difference between the nymphs and their parents.
17 Monday May 2021
Posted in insects
The highlight of yesterday’s walk was this little dude, a new insect for me and perhaps the coolest bug I’ve ever seen. Meet Centrotus cornutus, one of only two British species of treehopper.
As you can see from the relative size of my thumb and the fact that it’s sitting on a blade of grass, this bug is tiny, averaging just 10mm in length. The British Bugs website says they can be found ‘on a range of plants in woodland rides’ – this one was amongst scrubby vegetation under trees in a local park, and the adults can be seen between April and August.
Though I wouldn’t usually promote Wikipedia, their entry on this bug has some interesting, seemingly well-referenced information that includes the idea that ‘The bizarre horn-like extensions of the pronotum apparently help the camouflage. As a matter of fact, when this insect is at rest on a branch with the legs retracted, it looks like a part of the branch itself.’ I can imagine that camouflage works rather well.
07 Wednesday Oct 2020
Posted in insects
I imagine this little guy was trying to shelter on this building wall, attempting, as I was, to avoid the worst of the wind and rain. At least it could easily fly off into the nearby bushes, whereas I had a 20-minute uphill walk to get home. Oh, and in case you don’t know, this is a Hairy shieldbug – you can read more about these handsome creatures in my post Hairy shieldbugs, April 2020.
01 Thursday Oct 2020
Posted in insects
Another day, another hitchhiker, another shieldbug. Last time, it was a Hawthorn shieldbug, this time it was a Common green shieldbug (Palomena prasina). I have no idea where I picked this one up but sometime during today’s meander, it chose to fly or drop on to my backpack and hitched a ride home with me.
I popped it inside a glass – I knew those shot glasses would come in handy for something – and took a few photos of its underside, which I don’t usually get to see, before opening the window and letting it fly off into the sunset.
30 Saturday May 2020
This is a new bug to me. I saw one in April (but only got a blurry photo) and then found another earlier this week. Meet the Cinnamon bug (Corizus hyoscyami), also known as the Black and red squash bug. Though bugs can be difficult to identify, this one has very distinctive markings so is easier than most. In times past, the Cinnamon bug was only found along the southern coasts of England but it is now spreading north, and west into Wales, obviously. You can read more about this colourful mini-beast on the British bugs website.
22 Wednesday Apr 2020
You wouldn’t think an insect that looks like it’s wearing armour (hence ‘shield’ bug) could be hairy but the Hairy shieldbug (Dolycoris baccarum) is living proof. It’s difficult to see the hairs when you’re viewing them in full sunshine, as their shield-shaped backs are quite shiny, but if you can get a close view in a shady setting, you can see the hairs on their legs and, in my photo below, along the top of the shield.
I found at least 20, probably more, of these handsome creatures in the scrub alongside a seldom-walked local path, and will be keeping an eye on this area to see if I can spot their offspring in the coming months, as it’s always interesting to see the different stages of growth. You can see images of these different instars, not only for the Hairy shieldbug but also for all the other shieldbug species, on the excellent British Bugs website.
20 Monday Apr 2020
First, the sunbathing – sometimes alone …
… sometimes with a friend.
Then, later, the sex!
Credits: Today’s post has featured the Green shieldbug (Palomena prasina) and the Dock bug (Coreus marginatus).
17 Thursday Oct 2019
As well as the cute little flower bug I found on Hedge woundwort (see yesterday’s post), on a nearby plant I also found this Woundwort shieldbug (Eysarcoris venustissimus), its jewel-like colours shining in the sunlight.
As the name implies, Hedge woundwort is one of the plants this bug’s larvae feed upon. Apparently, these shieldbugs were considered rare in the 19th century but their situation has improved and the adults can now be found year round in much of southern Britain.
22 Tuesday Jan 2019
Tags
British bugs, galls on Centranthus ruber, galls on Red valerian, leaf-roll galls, Trioza centranthi
I first noticed these strange rolled-up leaf edges about a week ago, in the lane behind my house, and, since then, I’ve seen them in several places locally.
The plant is Red valerian (Centranthus ruber) and the leaf-rolls are galls, almost certainly caused by the larvae of a little bug called Trioza centranthi. The gall is where it makes its home until it matures into an adult bug, and you can see some of the larvae in the lower right photo below.
Amazingly, I photographed the little bug (see below) on one of the plants and I think this is the adult. I’ve read that Trioza centranthi is quite uncommon and, certainly, there are only 3 records in Aderyn, the Welsh biodiversity database but I imagine this is to do with under-recording rather than rarity.
earthstar 
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