This season....

....Just keeps on giving!
I went for a late season tripette to Iping and Stedham common this morning to see if I could see any decent fungi, but despite the conditions being ideal, there were very few fungi to be found :- ( Wandering back to the car I found several things on the fences warming up. An orange ladybird, a very nicely marked male Dark bush cricket, a mating pair of Common darters (very late in the season!) and last but not least this beautiful Spiked shield bug.
The Spiked shield bug (Picromerus bidens), is a large (12 - 13.5 mm) shield bug, with unmistakable thorn-like projections on the front of the pronotum ( the bit behind the head). They are predatory, feeding on the larvae of other insects, especially caterpillars, and will also suck the sap from plants.
They are most often found in flower rich woodland edge habitats and also on heathland. The adults can be found from July to November, and they overwinter in the egg stage. Although widespread across Britain they are never common.