This small, shiny shieldbug is usually found on hedge woundwort.
Scientific name
Eysarcoris venustissimus
When to see
Mainly May to September
Top facts
Stats
Length: 5-7 mm
Common
About
The woundwort shieldbug has been expanding its range north through Britain. It is usually found on hedge woundwort growing along woodland rides and edges, hedgerows and even in gardens. It can sometimes also be found on other plants, including white dead-nettle and black horehound.
What to look for
A small, compact shieldbug. It's whitish-grey and bronze, with metallic, coppery-red patches on the head, the front of the pronotum and the centre of the back. The edges of the abdomen have a pattern of alternating black and white wedges.
Where to find
Widespread in England as far north as Yorkshire, though scarcer in the southwest. Also recorded in the east of Wales.
Did you know?
Woundwort shieldbugs spend the winter as adults, emerging in spring to mate and lay their eggs. The nymphs hatch in summer and quickly grow into the next generation of adults.
