Stinkbugs Emerging
/These two were the first shield bugs of the season. On the left the Birch Shieldbug (#282), several of which have been blown out of the trees around the garden by the strong winds of the last couple of days. On the right a Red-legged Shieldbug (#292), this one saved from drowning in the paddling pool. These shield shaped bugs are also often called stink bugs as the smell bad when you squash them, and presumably they taste bad to birds as well. They're pretty bugs, but not especially a gardeners friend as they live by sucking the sap from plants and hence can become a pest, but I don't mind them...
