Shield bugs cont'd

Raining on and off for most of the day today :-(
later this afternoon it brightened up just a bit and the sun came out briefly, so I took a quick trip to Southwater country park to find a blip.
To my surprise there were lots of things around, especially damselflies, all hiding in the grass. I did toy with the idea of blipping a Large red damselfly which was sitting on my finger, but in the end decided to go with my first instinct and bring you another shield bug.
This is a Tortoise bug Eurygaster testudinaria, another species found fairly commonly in the meadows round where I live in West Sussex.
It is a medium size species, between 9.5 and 11mm in length. the nymphs feed on grasses between May and August, and it overwinters as an adult. The markings are very variable, with some plain brown and others yellowish.
I always enjoy finding these little shieldbugs swaying around on the grass seedheads.....especially when it's sunny and warm!
I am off to Swindon tomorrow (weather permitting)....to hopefully find some Marsh fritillaries!!! so watch this space!

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