Parent bug

I found this tiny shield bug in some silver birch I had cut for my caterpillars, at first I thought it was a Birch catkin bug, but I was pleased to find it was actually a Parent bug.
The parent bug , Elasmucha grisea, is a smallish shield bug (7 - 9 mm in length) that overwinters as an adult, emerging and mating in the spring. The female then broods the eggs and the young adults, which is what gives this endearing little bug it's common name. It feed on Birch and alder, and is common throughout the UK.