Recent leaf-bothering has turned up several clutches of insect eggs, usually laid on the undersides of leaves. Most I can’t identify but these are two I can. I knew this first lot were shieldbug eggs but I wasn’t sure of the species. Luckily, an entomologist who follows me on Twitter was able to tell me that this clutch was laid by a Common green shieldbug (Palomena prasina) and, due to the greyish colour of the eggs, he could also tell that they had been parasitised, probably by a species of parasitic wasp.

As you can see, this second clutch of eggs had fared much better, escaping the wasp’s ovipositor to produce these tiny hatchlings. Despite their reddish colouring, these are also Common green shieldbugs; the nymphs will go through several changes of colour and patterning before they assume their final adult appearance.