Antennae

Heterotoma planicornis

When it comes to antennae, few insects match the proportions of Heterotoma planicornis, a little insect with appendages that are nearly as long as its body. The combination of a dark body, distinctively long, flattened antennae and lime green legs make it easy to identify. Like many other mirid bug species, this one is primarily a plant eater, feeding on the buds, fruits, nectar and juices of a variety of trees, shrubs and smaller plants, with a particular predilection for nettles. However, it also eats aphids, spiders, mites, and psyllids, and may be important in the control of aphids in orchards. There is one generation per year, with eggs laid in the autumn hatching the following spring. Nymphs develop through the following months, and adults are typically found between July and October. Abundant throughout most of Britain, these little insects are also widespread across much of Europe and have been accidentally introduced to North America and New Zealand.

Nettle bug

Nettle Ground Bug (Heterogaster urticae)

Right now, our Common Nettle plants are liberally sprinkled with mating pairs of Nettle Ground Bugs – and according to things I've been reading whilst researching this post, they may remain linked together for days! When they're done, the female will lay her eggs in the ground near a nettle plant (usually Common Nettle, but occasionally one of its close relatives). That plant will serve as host to the developing larvae, which should reach adulthood by September. These adults will overwinter, hibernating during the coldest months and re-emerging in the spring when the temperatures rise again. The above picture is far larger than life-sized; the bug itself measures a mere 6–7 mm (about a quarter of an inch) long. The alternating light and dark patches on the sides of its abdomen help to identify it, as do its stripey legs, its all-dark antennae and the long, erect hairs on its head and pronotum (the part of the insect just behind its head). It's common and widespread in open areas of southern England and Wales (basically anywhere nettles are found), and is spreading northwards, with recent records from as far north as Scotland. We're happy for them to eat all of the nettles they want; we have far more of that than we'd like in many corners of the garden.

Aphid on the menu

Deraeocoris flavilinea

See what happens when you don't spray your plants with pesticides? If you look closely at the picture above, you'll see that one of last month's Mugwort Aphids is being stabbed in the back by the spiky rostrum of this Deraeocoris flavilinea. The latter is a predatory species, and various aphids are always on the "menu du jour". Other Deraeocoris species feed on plant matter as well as insects, so presumably this one does too, though I haven't found anything online that specifically says so. The British Bugs website lists Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) and Field Maple (Acer campestre) as host plants; presumably these are the hosts for the insect's larval stages. However, the adults are often found on other species of trees and shrubs. The individual in the photo above is a female, identified by her overall orangish colour. Males are much darker. The pale edges to the pronotum (the section of the insect just behind the head) and the pale "V" on the scutellum (clearly visible in the picture) are good field marks for both sexes. According to online pictures, many show considerably more banding on the legs than this individual does. This species only arrived in the UK in 1996, but has already spread across much of south and central Britain. It came from the continent, where it is reasonably widespread in central Europe.

Twinspot

Timothy Grassbug (Stenotus binotatus): male upper left, female lower right

These days, the seed heads of the Common Cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata) and Yorkshire Fog in our pocket meadow are crawling with Timothy Grassbugs (Stenotus binotatus), small true bugs that feed on grasses. Measuring in at 6 mm (about 1/4-inch), they're pretty easy to overlook. It makes me chuckle that these are considered "fairly large" for plant bugs. Males are yellowish, with extensive and variable dark patterning on their wings and pronotum, which is the part of their bodies just behind their heads. Females are greener, with two small dots on their pronotum and dark lines on their wings. Both sexes get darker and more strongly marked as they age. The species is native to much of the Palearctic (Europe and northern Asia), but has been widely introduced (accidentally) to temperate areas around the world. Here in the UK, it's a common and widespread species in dry grasslands across much of England and Wales, with many fewer records from Scotland. At all ages, it feeds on the flowering heads of grasses, which means it can be a serious agricultural pest on cereal crops, particularly as it produces an enzyme as it feeds which degrades the gluten in the seeds. Adults are typically on the wing between June and September, so they'll presumably be chowing down on the meadow grasses for another few months. Better here than the nearby barley field!

Pied Shield Bug

Pied Shield Bug (Tritomegas bicolor)

While poking around the garden in search of new arrivals the other morning, I came across this handsome little creature trundling along one of the iris leaves near the entrance gate. It's a Pied Shield Bug (Tritomegas bicolor), one of the more striking members of its family. Smaller than most of its relatives, it's sometimes mistaken for a ladybird. Like many other shield bugs, it's a herbivore; it sticks its strawlike mouthparts into Black Horehound (Ballota nigra) and various dead-nettle species and sucks out the juices. It's found (often on the ground) in hedgerows and gardens, and along the edges of woodland – areas where its host plants occur. Common throughout much of southern England and Wales, it is rarer northwards, and missing entirely from Scotland and Ireland. Elsewhere in the world, it's found across Europe and North Africa, east to central Asia. Unlike many insect mothers, the female Pied Shield Bug is an attentive parent. She builds a shallow scrape nest in the soil, lays her eggs in it, and then stands guard over them for the three weeks it takes them to hatch, rotating the eggs occasionally with her head. Once the young have hatched, she leads them to an appropriate food plant. Though adults may be seen year-round, April to August is said to be the best time to look for them. Given that we have both Black Horehound and Red Dead-Nettle in abundance here in the garden, that means we should be seeing them for months.

Catkin nibbler

Birch Catkin Bug (Kleidocerys resedae)

While turfing non-moths out of the moth trap on a recent morning, I found this intriguing little insect marching around on the egg boxes. It's tiny: to give you an idea just how small, those pale, vaguely circular things near it are grains of sand. After taking its picture, I turned to the excellent website britishbugs.org.uk to identify it as a Birch Catkin Bug (Kleidocerys resedae). It's very similar to a closely related species that specialises on heathers, but given that Kleidocerys ericae is scarce in Britain, and that we don't live near any heathland, I'm betting my ID is correct. As you might guess from its name, it feeds primarily on birch catkins, which means it was probably attracted to the Silver Birch (Betula pendula) at the bottom of the garden. It's a widespread species, found across England, Wales and southern Ireland (as well as throughout Europe, northern Asia and North America). There are several generations per year; adults overwinter, emerging in the spring to breed, and larvae are found from March through September. Apparently, males "sing" mating songs, using a comb-like structure a vein of their hindwings. We'll have to listen for them next spring.

Birch bug

Birch Shield Bug (Elasmostethus interstinctus)

When we opened the moth trap the other morning, we found this colourful bug trundling around among the egg boxes. It's a Birch Shield Bug (Elasmostethus interstinctus), and it's another new species for the garden. Like many other shield bugs, it sucks the juices out of plants — in this case, primarily (and appropriately) the catkins of birch trees. Presumably, it was attracted by the Silver Birch at the foot of the garden; it will also feed on hazel, if it can't find birch. It's widespread throughout the British Isles, as well as across Europe, North America and northern Asia. A smaller version of the Hawthorn Shield Bug, it lacks the pointier projecting "shoulders" of its larger cousin, and what projections it does have are seldom red-tipped. It also shows more red on its scutellum (the triangular plate in front of the wings), and at the tip of the abdomen (just visible under the wings in the picture above). Though adults are found from May through October, they are most common in early autumn. They'll hibernate in leaf litter overwinter, emerging next spring to lay their eggs. Formerly considered to belong to the "stink bug" family, they've now been moved to the "parent bug" family, Acanthosomatidae. Females guard their eggs, and travel with their young for at least part of their lives. We'll have to keep a closer eye out for them on the birch next year.

Bishop

Bishop's Mitre (Aelia acuminata)

Ever since I first saw it illustrated in a field guide, I've always wanted to see the shield bug known as the Bishop's Mitre (Aelia acuminata). It's just such a crazy name! This is a distinctive bug; with its striped back and pointy nose, the adult can't easily be confused with anything else. As its camouflage suggests, it's a grass specialist, found in dry meadows and cereal fields; our pocket meadow apparently fits the bill. Like many shield bugs, it's a herbivore, sucking juices from a variety of grasses. In large numbers, it can cause significant damage in agricultural fields. Common and widespread across southern England and Wales, it's found as far north as Yorkshire. Elsewhere, it's regular across Europe and North Africa, and through much of northern Asia. Adults are present year-round, but are most easily seen from May to September. They mate in spring and early summer. Females lay their eggs in the grass, and larvae feed on ripening grass seed heads for the summer. New adults appear by late summer, and these overwinter in thickets or leaf litter, emerging to mate the following spring.