• ABOUT
  • BIRDING 2018
  • Birding 2019
  • BLOG POSTS
  • Butterflies 2018
  • Resources

earthstar

~ a celebration of nature

earthstar

Tag Archives: British bugs

281/366 Hairy and handsome

07 Wednesday Oct 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

British bugs, Hairy shieldbug, shieldbug

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.

201007 hairy shieldbug

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

275/366 Another hitchhiker

01 Thursday Oct 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

British bugs, Common Green Shieldbug, Green shieldbug, Palomena prasina, shieldbugs

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.

201001 common green shieldbug (3)
201001 common green shieldbug (4)

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.

201001 common green shieldbug (1)
201001 common green shieldbug (2)

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

151/366 Cinnamon bug

30 Saturday May 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Black and red squash bug, British bugs, bugs, Cinnamon bug, Corizus hyoscyami

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.

200529 Cinnamon bug

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

113/366 Hairy shieldbugs

22 Wednesday Apr 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

British bugs, British shieldbugs, Dolycoris baccarum, Hairy shieldbug, shieldbug

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.

200422 hairy shieldbug (5)

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.

200422 hairy shieldbug (1)
200422 hairy shieldbug (2)
200422 hairy shieldbug (3)
200422 hairy shieldbug (4)

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

111/366 It’s a bugs’ life

20 Monday Apr 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature, spring

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

British bugs, Coreus marginatus, Dock bug, Green shieldbug, Palomena prasina, shieldbug

First, the sunbathing – sometimes alone …

200420 green shieldbug

… sometimes with a friend.

200420 dock bug

Then, later, the sex!

200420 2 green shieldbugs

Credits: Today’s post has featured the Green shieldbug (Palomena prasina) and the Dock bug (Coreus marginatus).

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

290/365 Woundwort shieldbug

17 Thursday Oct 2019

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

British bugs, British shieldbugs, shield bugs, Woundwort shieldbug

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.

191017 Woundwort shieldbug (1)

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.

191017 Woundwort shieldbug (2)

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Galls on Red valerian

22 Tuesday Jan 2019

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 8 Comments

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.

190122 trioza centranthi (1)

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.

190122 trioza centranthi (2)
190122 trioza centranthi (3)
190122 trioza centranthi (4)
190122 trioza centranthi (5)

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.

190122 trioza centranthi (6)

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Rhododendron leafhoppers

20 Saturday Oct 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature, plants

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

British bugs, Bute Park, Graphocephala fennahi, leafhopper, rhododendron bug, rhododendron leafhopper

I enjoyed a delightful long meander in Cardiff’s magnificent Bute Park yesterday (there will be a blog, probably tomorrow, once I finish going through my photos) and, in the course of that, I made sure to visit one particular small patch of rhododendron. The reason is these little critters, Rhododendron leafhoppers (Graphocephala fennahi).

181020 Graphocephala fennahi (5)

If you’ve been here a while, you may remember I blogged about them back in August 2016, when I was first introduced to them. I wasn’t sure they’d still be around this late in the year, and there certainly weren’t very many of them, but two or three were hopping from leaf to leaf whenever I tried to get near enough for photos. I’ve since read, on the British Bugs website, that they can be seen as late as November, feeding on rhododendron sap and laying their eggs in the leaf buds.

181020 Graphocephala fennahi (2)
181020 Graphocephala fennahi (4)
181020 Graphocephala fennahi (3)

Leafhoppers come in a splendid variety of colours hence this 2019 diary note: *Note to self: make more of an effort to look for leafhoppers next spring/summer*.

181020 Graphocephala fennahi (1)

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Bugs are like buses

16 Thursday Aug 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

British bugs, Coreus marginatus, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Dock bug

I hadn’t seen any Dock bugs (Coreus marginatus) for a couple of months and then suddenly, at Cosmeston the other day, I saw 11 on one plant!

180816 dock bugs (3)

Now that I’ve read up on them, I understand the sightings gap: it seems adults mate and lay their eggs in the springtime, the nymphs munch away on dock and their other favourite plants for a couple of months and, by August, they have developed into new adults. And here they are …

180816 dock bugs (5)
180816 dock bugs (4)
180816 dock bugs (2)
180816 dock bugs (1)

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Walking on water

29 Sunday Apr 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

British bugs, bugs on water, Common pond skater, Gerris lacustris, pond skaters

When I took this photo of a pond skater flitting about on a pond at a local nature reserve, I thought it would be easy to identify – ever the optimist, me! Then I discovered that there are, in fact, nine species of pond skater in Britain, though I think this is most likely to be the Common pond skater (Gerris lacustris).

180429 pond skater

I was fascinated to learn that this bug has water-repellent hairs on its feet and that’s how it’s able to ‘walk’ over the surface of still water. It uses its long middle legs to ‘row’ and its hind legs trail along behind like a kind of rudder. Amazing!

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...
← Older posts

About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

View Full Profile →

Follow earthstar on WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent blog posts

  • Wild blooms February 28, 2021
  • Mossy gravestone February 27, 2021
  • Nipplewort Rust February 26, 2021
  • First hoverfly February 25, 2021
  • Spot the spider February 24, 2021

From the archives

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

COPYRIGHT

Unless otherwise acknowledged, the text and photographs on this blog are my own and are subject to international copyright. Nothing may be downloaded or copied without my permission.

Click on the category

'Dedicated Naturalist' Project 365DaysWildin2019 amphibian animals autumn birds coastal fauna flowers fungi geology insects ladybird leaves lichen mammal molluscs nature nature photography parks plants reptiles seaside seasons spiders spring trees walks weather wildflowers winter

Fellow Earth Stars!

Blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×
    %d bloggers like this: