And suddenly there were bugs...

Visited Stefen Hill Pocket Park today - strictly for exercise of course. Quite a few other people were there, walking dogs and so on, but we gave each other a wide berth.


A number of plants were in flower - cherries and blackthorn, dandelions and coltsfoot, sweet violets and red dead nettles, but weren't attracting many insects. Those I did observe were mostly on grasses and the leaves of plants such as stinging nettles and cow parsley.


One exception was a Green Shieldbug, Palomena prasina. It had lost its dull brown winter camouflage and was now living up to its common name.

Palomena prasina investigates cherry blossom. Stefen Hill Pocket Park,

Daventry. 8 April, 2020

On herbaceous plants beneath a Norway Maple was a specimen of the Birch Shieldbug, Elasmostethus interstinctus. There were birch trees not far away so it was just a case of satnav malfunction.

This Birch Shieldbug was beneath Norway Maple.

Stefen Hill Pocket Park, 8 April, 2020

Only a few feet away was a Hawthorn Shieldbug, Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale, but far more interesting was a Bishop's Mitre, Aelia acuminata.

Bishop's Mitre Bug was a new record for the pocket park.

Stefen Hill, Daventry, 8 April, 2020

It was rather obvious against a green background but its colour, shape and pattern of light and darker browns offer wonderful concealment on dead grasses.

Also present on hedge garlic were a few Brassica Bugs, Eurydema oleracea. I noted some red and black examples last year but today's specimens were the more usual white and black forms.

However, the prize must go to a flatbug, Aradus depressus. I rarely find flatbugs although this is probably the commonest British species. It is generally found under loose bark but they will take to the wing in spring and this example, swept from grass beneath trees, was probably such a case.

This flatbug, Aradus depressus, was a real surprise. Stefen Hill Pocket Park,

Daventry. 8 April, 2020 Apologies for a poor photograph.

The habitat of this species means that it is not often recorded. It has not apparently been recorded from Leicestershire and there is only one record from Nottinghamshire. It may be a new Northamptonshire record.