Parent bug

In the lovely spells of sunshine today, the garden was alive with insects of all shapes and sizes. They don't seem to be accepting that summer is over. It's a shame I've been stuck indoors most of the day doing 'desk-work' (why do I let this happen when I'm retired and free?!!). I did take a few breaks to just wander around outside and enjoy it...and took a few photographs. This is a shieldbug I don't think I've recorded before in the garden - the Parent Bug, Elasmucha grisea. It is quite small, around 6/7mm, and easily overlooked, but is really beautiful in close-up. It gets its common name from the exemplary parental behaviour of the female, who sits over her eggs for up to 3 weeks until they hatch and then guards the newly hatched larvae through a number of moults, protecting them from predators.