Cinnamon bug - a recent arrival in my garden

I first found one of these cinnamon bugs Corizus hyoscyami in the garden a couple of years ago. Now they are well established here. They overwinter as adults and this is the first that I've seen this year, feeding on garden mint leaves. A strikingly beautiful insect.

This is yet another species that's extending its range northwards, presumably in response to climate change, although I suppose that the wholesale and retail horticulture industry could be giving it a helping hand. Originally it was confined to coastal sand dune habitats in southern England, but now it seems to be on its way to Scotland. Our winters here in Durham have become much milder in recent years, which must make it easier for species adapted to a more southerly climate to become established here.

 

A mirid bug nymph in my vegetable delivery

I've always hoped that I might find something interesting in fruit or vegetables bought from a greengrocers or supermarket - maybe a tropical spider or a scorpion. No luck yet, but this little mirid bug nymph Calocorus alpestris turned up in a cauliflower that we had delivered from a supermarket during Lockdown.

This is a sap-sucking plant bug - you can see its syringe-like mouthparts in the photo above. Its presence is rather reassuring, an indication that the cauliflower isn't loaded with pesticides. If it's safe for Calocoris to feed on, it's surely safe for a human to eat.

This is a nymph, with stubby, partially developed wings, and it will need to go through a final moult before it can become airborne.

On the British Bugs web site it's described as a local species, often found in damp woodlands, with a mainly upland and northern distribution in Britain, feeding on nettles.

I must thank @BritishBugs , @WildJennySteel and @Tracker_Bob on Twitter for identifying this for me.

Mirid bug

I found this beautifully marked plant bug, which I think is Miris striatus, in a hedgerow near the river Wear in Wolsingham.

This is a heteropteran plant bug, characterised by wings that are partly hardened and partly membranous. This one just scuttled away instead of flying when I disturbed it. 

Most heteropterans feed on plants but apparently this one is partly carnivorous, feeding on other small insects. 

The colouring varies quite a lot in this species - I think the intensity of colour in the blue tip to the membranous part of the wing varies depending on the angle of the lighting.