damsel bug

...a really beautiful day today - as long as you kept out of the wind. In our part of south east Dorset, lambing is common in September so, with the sun shining out of a blue sky and the sight and sounds of young lambs in the fields, it would not have been difficult to imagine it was spring.

As planned, we stopped off at Morden Bog on our way to Wimborne Minster. With such a cool strong wind, we avoided the heath and kept to the shelter of the bordering hedgerow. Within minutes we had found several caterpillars, wasps, flies and other invertebrates. I got some great detailed images but one bug in particular interested me and, as misfortune would have it, it was one of those one frame opportunities because it didn't like being exposed to the sunlight and quickly disappeared. I knew the shot wouldn't be as clear as I would like but, as I didn't know what the bug was, I hoped it would at least be good enough to id.

The Tree Damsel Bug, Himacerus apterus is another of the true bugs. It belongs to the Nabidae family but, unlike other UK nabids, it lives in trees and feeds on mites, aphids and other small insects. This a male, which is quite differently shaped from the female. These bugs have really long proboscises that the keep tucked under themselves when not in use. I have never photographed or even seen one before (despite them apparently being common) so I thought it should be blipped despite the imperfect focus...