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~ a celebration of nature

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Tag Archives: shieldbugs

A shieldbug selection

03 Friday Sep 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects

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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)

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275/366 Another hitchhiker

01 Thursday Oct 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects

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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)

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96/365 Gorse weevils and shieldbugs

06 Saturday Apr 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, insects, nature, plants, spring

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

British insects, Exapion ulicis, gorse, Gorse shieldbug, Gorse weevil, Piezodorus lituratus, shieldbugs, weevils

I got some strange looks today when I was out walking – nothing unusual about that really. This time it was because I had my nose in a gorse bush looking for its special critters – and I found them. First, I was delighted to spot two tiny Gorse weevils (Exapion ulicis). I’ve only found them once before and these two led me a merry dance, in and around the gorse leaves, not wanting to have their photo taken. One disappeared but I managed to grab a couple of pics of the other.

190406 gorse weevil

The other critters were much easier, at least ten of them, probably many more, hiding in plain sight – that’s how well camouflaged they are. These Gorse shieldbugs (Piezodorus lituratus) were also camera shy and the gorse thorns made a few holes in my hands as I tried to pull the gorse this way and that to get some photos. But it was worth every speck of blood!

190406 gorse shieldbug (1)
190406 gorse shieldbug (2)
190406 gorse shieldbug (3)

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Signs of Spring, 3

25 Saturday Mar 2017

Posted by sconzani in insects, ladybird, nature, spring, wildflowers

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

bees, butterflies, flies, hoverflies, insects, insects in springtime, ladybird, shieldbugs, Spring has sprung

You know Spring has well and truly arrived when the insects start appearing in reasonable quantities so, judging by the numbers of insects I’ve seen on my walks over the past two days, I would say Spring has most definitely sprung, wouldn’t you?

170325 Spring insects (1)
170325 Spring insects (2)
170325 Spring insects (3)
170325 Spring insects (4)
170325 Spring insects (5)
170325 Spring insects (6)
170325 Spring insects (7)
170325 Spring insects (8)
170325 Spring insects (9)
170325 Spring insects (10)
170325 Spring insects (11)
170325 Spring insects (12)

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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.

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