New insects added today were Jersey Tiger (Euplagia quadripunctaria) moth, a possible Common Furrow Bee (Lasioglossum calceatum?) and Parent Bug (Elasmucha grisea).

Latest photographs of already recorded species include a Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus) seen for the first time despite its name on Dock, Sun Fly (Helophilus pendulus) hoverfly (‘The Footballer’), a Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris) in flight and 22-spot Ladybird (Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata).

While Bird’s-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) commonly has yellow petals and reddish flower buds giving rise to one of its popular names ‘Eggs and Bacon’, it often has streaks or patches of orange in the petals, but I found one this morning with completely orange flowers.

An unwelcome discovery though was the alien invasive Canadian Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis). Volunteers have cleared patches of this over the past few years and where it is found springing up again should be regarded as ‘uproot on sight’.

Also seen was another unidentified Bolete mushroom.

Nature note for the day

The name Parent Bug derives from the almost unique habit among shield bugs of the female to remain with and protect her eggs after laying (as my photo shows). She has quite a repertoire of deterrents, including wing flapping, body jerking and releasing unpleasant odours from her scent glands (the other common name for shield bugs is stink bugs), to ward off prospective predators that include beetles, ants and earwigs. Even after the eggs have hatched she remains with the nymphs keeping them shepherded into a single group while they move around feeding, until after the third instar stage when they are large enough to disperse and fend for themselves.

Read this for more information on the parental care of the Parent Bug. 

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