Final instar Hawthorn shieldbugs

25 Thursday Aug 2022

Tags

Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale, British shieldbugs, final instar Hawthorn shieldbug, Hawthorn shieldbug

My walk of the fields at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park hadn’t turned up any migrating birds so I was having a poke around some trees before heading home when I found these two huddling together amongst the leaves. They’re Hawthorn shieldbug nymphs (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale) in their fifth and final form (instar) before they become adults. (You can see the various instars on the superb British Bugs website.)

220825 hawthorn shieldbugs final instar

A bug and its eggs

19 Tuesday Apr 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects, plants

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

British shieldbugs, gorse, Gorse flowers, Gorse shieldbug, Gorse shieldbug eggs, Piezodorus lituratus

The sunshine yellow flowers of gorse always draw my eye and I can seldom resist a quick sniff of their delicious scent (does gorse smell of coconuts or do coconuts smell like gorse?). This time, as I drew close to the flowers, I noticed a Gorse shieldbug (Piezodorus lituratus) enjoying the Spring sunshine.

220419 gorse shieldbug

And then, of course, I had to have a quick search for more. I didn’t spot any further adult bugs but I did find two lots of their distinctive black-and-white barrel-shaped eggs. Apparently, the eggs hatch within a week so I’ll have to revisit this plant soon to see if I can find the nymphs.

220419 gorse shieldbug eggs

A huddle of Parent bugs

21 Tuesday Sep 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

British shieldbugs, Elasmucha grisea, final instar Parent bug nymphs, Parent bug

Seeing this huddle of final instar nymphs of the Parent bug (Elasmucha grisea) made my day!

210921 parent bug nymphs

I wasn’t sure what they were at first but, in case you’re not aware of it, the British Bugs website hosts a brilliant selection of photographs of all stages of British bugs, so a scroll through the shieldbug gallery quickly provided me with their identification. The website is particularly helpful for the less recognisable early instars of insects like shieldbugs.

A shieldbug selection

03 Friday Sep 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

British shieldbugs, Common Green Shieldbug, Gorse shieldbug, Red-legged shieldbug, shieldbugs

Do you have a favourite bug? I think the shieldbug is mine. Always cute, often comical, reasonably easy to identify – what’s not to love?

Gorse shieldbug, 2nd instar

210903 gorse shieldbug 2nd instar

Red-legged shieldbug, final instar

210903 red-legged shieldbug final instar

And a selection of Common green shieldbugs

210903 common green (1) 210903 common green (2) 210903 common green (3)

Shieldbugs on gorse

22 Thursday Apr 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, plants

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

British insects, British shieldbugs, Dolycoris baccarum, gorse, Gorse shieldbug, Hairy shieldbug, Piezodorus lituratus, shieldbugs on gorse

I had expected to find Gorse shieldbugs on these glowing gorse bushes (the clue’s in the name) but, in fact, the most numerous were the Hairy shieldbugs (of which there must have been at least 20).

The Gorse shieldbug (Piezodorus lituratus) (above left) looks very like a Common green shieldbug but its red antennae are a distinctive identification feature. The Hairy shieldbug (Dolycoris baccarum) (above right, and below) is a much more colourful character, a stylish combination of purple-brown and green, and it also has distinctive antennae, this time three white bands on a black base.

210422 hairy shieldbug (2)

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.

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)