Poolside

Common Blue (?) Damselfly

Large Red Damselfly

Bees and Foxgloves

Sloe Bug on Globe Thistle

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Bugs

These pesky shieldbugs are still at it, sunbathing away on top of the poppies.

I spent quite a while watching them this lunchtime, and I'm pretty sure that's all they're doing. They didn't appear to be feeding or interacting, despite the fact that they often congregated on the same poppies.

• Big thanks to Fiona for lending her bug identification know-how - these are Sloe Bugs, Dolycoris baccarum

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995

Parent Bugs

I was wandering aimlessly around the garden before work this morning, when I noticed some shieldbugs congregating on a bare poppy head.

I've done a bit of rummaging around on Google and I think they're Parent Bugs, Elasmucha grisea.

Not sure what they're up to, but my personal theory is that they'd spent the night in the vegetation below and simply climbed up the tall poppy stems to sun themselves at the top.

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995