Parent Bug

Despite Parent Bugs being common in Birch trees, this is the first I’ve found in the garden. Smaller than the birch shield bug and less boldly marked, this bug usually has a dark mark on the scutellum (back), which is missing on this individual, nonetheless I believe it is this species. Parent bugs are so-called as the females care for the eggs and young nymphs into the early summer (the males having already died off).

The two-spotted ladybird is one that I don’t see very often either, despite it being a common species.