Soldier, Soldier

My eldest daughter came running into the kitchen whilst I was tidying up "Mummy, a bug, a bug!".

I dutifully collected my glass tumbler and leaflet about a child-friendly local attraction and went into the conservatory to find a lost beetle wandering aimlessly around on the wooden floor.

Now, it may seem a little strange, but I always feel a bit sorry for lost bugs. The world is a big place and it takes no time at all for a flying insect to find itself in a totally unsuitable enivironment, usually being swatted away or squashed by a human hand.

The beetle was a Soldier Beetle, but I wasn't sure which one. Such is my curiosity level when it comes to critters, I had to at least try to find out which one. The black spot on the back of its thorax confirmed that it was in fact Cantharis rustica. Not that it actually made any difference. It just made me feel like I'd completed a job properly (and that's a rare feeling when you're a working mum with two children).

Soldier Beetles are so called because of their red and black colouring which reminds some (very old) people of the old British Army Uniform from the 1800s. 

I can imagine they are pretty menacing if you're an aphid (or a small child I guess) as they are carnivorous creatures, who enjoy feasting on any insects, but you'll often find the adults hanging around flower beds as they tend to target insects that feed on flowers. Perhaps Soldier Beetles have a sweet tooth (or sweet mandible - you know what I mean).