Green Shield Bug takin' a ride!

Bethany spotted it first. A beautiful Green Shield Bug on Mark's hat! He'd just come in from work and was leaning down to get something. She alerted me to it and I was thrilled to find it perched quite happily on the peak of his cap. I put my finger in front of it and it clumsily walked towards it.

Green Shield Bugs are my absolute favourite insect so far, closely followed by Bloody-Nosed Bettles, oh and Dragonflies... not forgetting Click Beetles,,, anyway. I love the way they walk across my hand, their red legs moving slowly and methodically. Their "feet" feel sticky. They're just lovely.

They're also called Stink Bugs because they can produce a very offensive odour when disturbed or handled, but I've never experienced it. They seem very cool, calm and collected, focused on getting somewhere... but in their own time. They won't be rushed.

I always used to think Shield Bugs were a type of beetle, but apparently they belong to a different group of insects; the Hemiptera.Well, you learn something new every day.


I love their uniformity - the markings down the sides towards the backs and the perfectly formed shield shape, and the colour.. so vivid! Give me a stink bug anyday.