Vivid
Of all the shieldbugs I see regularly, this is the one that puts me most in mind of a child’s plastic toy: that cool and vivid green always looks slightly unnatural to my eye. I haven’t tweaked the colours here, … Continued
Parent bug
This is the first parent bug I’ve seen since the previous generation began to come out of hibernation, back in the spring. Each summer I hope to get the chance to observe this bug’s unusual breeding behaviour, but I haven’t … Continued
Ready to launch
I realised recently that you can tell if a bug is thinking about blasting off, because it starts to flex and separate various bits of its exoskeleton. Ever since then I’ve been trying to capture the moment of take-off, and … Continued
Juniper shieldbug
I don’t want to big myself up too much here (though I’m going to, obviously), but this was a very difficult shot to get. And R loves it, strongly preferring it to my other offering, which is a (technically better) … Continued
Making whoopee
I had a good day today, invertebrate-wise, and there are several photos in this set that would have worked very well for tonight’s blip, but I’ve decided to use this post to mark the day’s two ‘firsts’: the main image … Continued
Celebration
I believe that this is my 3000th blip, which is pretty surprising given that I have a low boredom threshold and a strong track record of abandoning commitments. It says a lot about the community here that I find this … Continued
Tortoise bug
I looked with disfavour at the raft of tedious stuff that needed doing at home this morning, contemplated the fact that from Wednesday onwards I’m likely to be running flat-out for five straight days, eyed the weather (bright, sunny and … Continued
Early and late
Three weeks ago I posted a little clutch of first instar woundwort shieldbug nymphs, and commented that they would be approaching adulthood in around a month. I’ve tried to keep an eye on their development since then, but the weather … Continued
Nymphomania
Ever since I first saw woundwort shieldbugs mating on the hedge woundwort, and then later spotted a little clutch of eggs, I’ve been waiting for the annual nymph nursery to appear. The interesting thing about woundwort shieldbugs is that the … Continued