As one would expect, this bug is common on hawthorn bushes although observations made in Surrey ("Shieldbugs of Surrey" by Roger Hawkins) show that it can be particularly abundant on some species of Cotoneaster, especially Cotoneaster x watereri. I saw it in Byfield Pocket Park earlier today on Bramble and it kindly sat still while I photographed it.
Hawthorn Shieldbug, Acanthosoma haemorroidale Byfield Pocket Park. 3.October, 2013 |
September is the best month to see this bug. Odd specimens turn up at other times of the year but adults are most numerous in early autumn. They then go into hibernation in late October. This is quite a large bug, but its chestnut-red and green body matches the berries and leaves of hawthorn and it can quite easily be overlooked. As with most of its relatives, any attempt to handle it will leave a pungent smell on the fingers - the same smell that deters would-be predators
Hawthorn Shieldbug, showing its "sore bottom" |
Loved this blog Tony!
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Loved this blog Tony. I feel great empathy for this bug.
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