GALLERY
Category: TRUE BUGS
Juniper aphid (Cinara juniperi)
Group: APHIDS
Where and when encountered: Anagach Woods on 12 August 2024
About: Juniper aphids can be found on the plant in their vernacular name in various corners of Great Britain.
Large pine aphid (Cinara pinea)
Group: APHIDS
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 6 August 2024
About: Large pine aphids, as their vernacular name would suggest, are relatively large for aphids and live on pine trees. They can be found in various corners of Great Britain.
Lime aphid (Eucallipterus tiliae)
Group: APHIDS
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 21 June 2024
About: Lime aphids, as their vernacular name suggests, feed on lime trees and can be found in various corners of Great Britain.
Heath damsel bug (Nabis ericetorum)
Group: DAMSEL BUGS
Where and when encountered: Nethy Bridge on 5 September 2021
About: Heath damsel bugs are widespread throughout Great Britain but are usually associated with heathland and moorland and found in the vicinity of heather. Like other damsel bugs, they are predators with a robust rostrum (a straw-like mouthpart) and they possess well-developed front femora to assist in prey handling.
Editor's note: The individual photographed is a nymph in the last stage before moulting to become an adult.
Broad damsel bug (Nabis flavomarginatus)
Group: DAMSEL BUGS
Where and when encountered: Carrbridge on 2 September 2021
About: Broad damsel bugs are widespread in Great Britain, living in grassland habitats, especially damper ones. Like other damsel bugs, they are predators with a robust rostrum (a straw-like mouthpart) and they possess well-developed front femora to assist in prey handling.
Marsh damsel bug (Nabis limbatus)
Group: DAMSEL BUGS
Where and when encountered: Anagach Woods on 29 August 2024
About: Marsh damsel bugs can be encountered in damp habitats in various corners of Great Britain. Like other damsel bugs, they are predators with a robust rostrum (a straw-like mouthpart) and they possess well-developed front femora to assist in prey handling.
Date range for adult records: 11 August to 8 September
Common flower bug (Anthocoris nemorum)
Group: FLOWER BUGS
Where and when encountered: Nethy Bridge on 25 August 2022
About: Insects belonging to this species can be found throughout Great Britain. They are predators and prefer lower vegetation rather than the foliage of trees.
Date range for adult records: 17 June to 25 August
Tetraphleps bicuspis
Group: FLOWER BUGS
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 4 May 2025
About: Flower bugs of the species Tetraphleps bicuspis live on conifers, including Scots pine, overwintering as adults under bark. They can be found in various corners of Great Britain.
Editor's note: I am reasonably confident of the species identification of the bug photographed.
Common froghopper (Philaenus spumarius)
Group: FROGHOPPERS
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 25 July 2024
About: Common froghoppers are widespread and often abundant in Great Britain. The larvae produce cuckoo-spit as a protective shield.
Drymus ryei
Group: GROUNDBUGS
Where and when encountered: Abernethy Forest on 3 May 2024
About: The groundbug Drymus ryei can be encountered among moss, grass, and leaf-litter, typically on dryish soils, and is widespread across Great Britain.
Drymus sylvaticus
Group: GROUNDBUGS
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 2 May 2024
About: The groundbug Drymus sylvaticus can be encountered among moss, grass, and leaf-litter, typically on dryish soils, and is widespread across Great Britain.
Eremocoris plebejus
Group: GROUNDBUGS
Where and when encountered: Glenmore Forest Park on 8 May 2024
About: The groundbug Eremocoris plebejus is a rarely encountered insect, not least on account of the insect's habit of spending time in moss or within the litter of pine needles. The pine forests of the eastern parts of the Scottish Highlands support the strongest population of this bug in Great Britain.
Pine cone bug (Gastrodes grossipes)
Group: GROUNDBUGS
Where and when encountered: Boat of Garten on 15 May 2024
About: Pine cone bugs are associated with conifers, especially Scots pine. They are common in various corners of Great Britain.
Date range for adult records: 11 April to 7 October
Birch catkin bug (Kleidocerys resedae)
Group: GROUNDBUGS
Where and when encountered: Nethy Bridge on 4 August 2023
About: Birch catkin bugs, as their name suggests, can be found by searching the flowers of trees in the genus Betula. They are common across much of England but less frequently encountered in Scotland, where their population is centred in the eastern Highlands.
Lamproplax picea
Group: GROUNDBUGS
Where and when encountered: Foal's Well on 1 September 2022
About: Bugs in the species Lamproplax picea are associated with Sphagnum bogs. They have been found in a small number of sites, scattered across Great Britain.
Scolopostethus decoratus
Group: GROUNDBUGS
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 10 August 2023
About: Bugs of this species have a strong association with heather and can be found up and down the length of Great Britain.
Editor's note: The bug in the photograph was found on nettle (a plant favoured by several other species in the same genus) rather than heather.
Date range for adult records: 3 May to 10 August
Stygnocoris sabulosus
Group: GROUNDBUGS
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 7 September 2022
About: The groundbug Stygnocoris sabulosus has a preference for dry habitats with chalky or sandy soils and is widespread across Great Britain.
Trapezonotus desertus
Group: GROUNDBUGS
Where and when encountered: Dulnain Bridge on 3 June 2022
About: The groundbug Trapezonotus desertus has a preference for heathland and chalk grassland and is widespread across Great Britain.
Date range for adult records: 11 May to 3 June
Cacopsylla peregrina
Group: JUMPING PLANT LICE
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 21 May 2024
About: Jumping plant lice of the species Cacopsylla peregrina feed on hawthorn and can be found in most parts of Great Britain.
Spear thistle lacebug (Tingis cardui)
Group: LACEBUGS
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 17 June 2022
About: These lacebugs take their vernacular name from their food-plant and they can be encountered from the far north to the far south of Great Britain.
Date range for adult records: 3 May to 27 June
Cixius nervosus
Group: LACEHOPPERS
Where and when encountered: Abernethy Forest on 21 June 2024
About: The lacehopper Cixius nervosus can be found on or around deciduous trees and shrubs from the far north to the far south of Great Britain.
Cicadella viridis
Group: LEAFHOPPERS
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 4 August 2024
About: Leafhoppers of the species Cicadella viridis can be found in most corners of Great Britain, especially in damp grassland and marshy areas.
Potato leafhopper (Eupteryx aurata)
Group: LEAFHOPPERS
Where and when encountered: Nethy Bridge on 5 September 2021
About: Potato leafhoppers can be found from the far south to the far north of Great Britain. As well as feeding on potato plants – hence their vernacular name – they are often encountered on low vegetation, particularly nettles and brambles.
Date range for adult records: 30 August to 5 September
Apolygus spinolae
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 3 August 2024
About: Plant bugs of the species Apolygus spinolae can be found on a range of plants including bramble, raspberry, creeping thistle, meadowsweet, nettle, and bog-myrtle. They are more commonly encountered in the south of Great Britain than in the north.
Asciodema obsoleta
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 28 July 2024
About: Plant bugs of the species Asciodema obsoleta can be found on gorse and broom in most corners of Great Britain.
Date range for adult records: 28 July to 10 August
Atractotomus magnicornis
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 1 August 2024
About: Plant bugs of the species Atractotomus magnicornis can be found on spruces in scattered areas of Great Britain. They appear to be more abundant in the south than in the north.
Black-kneed capsid (Blepharidopterus angulatus)
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Anagach Woods on 29 August 2024
About: Black-kneed capsids can be found across most of Great Britain. They are associated with a variety of deciduous trees – including birch, alder, apple, lime, and ash – and are partly predatory.
Date range for adult records: 29 July to 2 September
Camptozygum aequale
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 6 August 2024
About: Plant bugs of the species Camptozygum aequale live on conifers, including Scots pine, and can be found in various corners of Great Britain.
Campyloneura virgula
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 30 August 2024
About: Insects belonging to this species can be found throughout much of Great Britain. They are encountered on a range of trees, especially hazel, hawthorns, and oaks, but others including limes. The rarity of males has led to speculation that the species might reproduce parthenogenetically.
Date range for adult records: 4 August to 30 August
Capsus ater
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Nethy Bridge on 24 June 2022
About: Plant bugs of the species Capsus ater can be found on grasses in most corners of Great Britain.
Dicyphus globulifer
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 18 May 2024
About: True bugs of this species can be found on red and white campions in many corners of Great Britain.
Date range for adult records: 1 May to 30 June
Dicyphus pallicornis
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Balliefurth Wood on 20 June 2022
About: True bugs of this species can be found on foxgloves up and down the length of Great Britain.
Date range for adult records: 11 April to 20 June
Dryophilocoris flavoquadrimaculatus
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 21 May 2025
About: Plant bugs of the species Dryophilocoris flavoquadrimaculatus are associated with oak trees. They may be encountered in many corners of Great Britain, although records are markedly fewer in number from Scotland than elsewhere.
Heterocordylus tibialis
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Anagach Woods on 17 June 2021
About: These bugs are among a relatively large number of species of insect who live or feed on common broom. Like their host-plant, they can be found from the far north to the far south of Great Britain.
Editor's note: The individual photographed here is a nymph.
Meadow plant bug (Leptopterna dolabrata)
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Milton Loch on 22 June 2024
About: Meadow plant bugs can be found in grassy habitats, especially damper ones, throughout Great Britain.
Date range for adult records: 22 June to 25 July
Liocoris tripustulatus
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 7 September 2022
About: Bugs in the species Liocoris tripustulatus can be found throughout Great Britain. They are strongly associated with common nettle as a host-plant.
Date range for adult records: 2 June to 7 September
Common green capsid (Lygocoris pabulinus)
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 8 September 2021
About: Common green capsids can be found across much of Great Britain on a range of plants, especially nettles.
Editor's note: The trio of green bugs feeding on hogweed in the photograph are the common green capsids. Their two companions are both members of the species Plagiognathus arbustorum.
Date range for adult records: 1 August to 8 September
Lygus punctatus
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Garlyne Moss on 11 May 2024
About: Lygus punctatus is a plant bug with a Great British distribution strongly centred on the Scottish Highlands.
Editor's note: I am reasonably confident of the species identification of this insect.
Neolygus contaminatus
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Nethy Bridge on 4 August 2023
About: Bugs in the species Neolygus contaminatus are widespread across Great Britain. They are associated with birch.
Editor's note: The nymphs also present in the photograph are birch catkin bugs.
Date range for adult records: 4 August to 9 September
Orthops basalis
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Nethy Bridge on 25 August 2022
About: This species has a somewhat patchy distribution in Great Britain and is associated with umbellifers.
Date range for adult records: 2 June to 25 August
Orthotylus adenocarpi
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Castle Grant on 29 July 2024
About: Plant bugs of the species Orthotylus adenocarpi can be found on broom in various corners of Great Britain.
Date range for adult records: 25 July to 29 July
Orthotylus bilineatus
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Nethy Bridge on 16 August 2024
About: These plants bugs are feeders on aspen (and, to a lesser extent, grey poplar). They have a scattered distribution across Great Britain, with an important part of their population being associated with aspen in the Scottish Highlands.
Date range for adult records: 10 August to 16 August
Orthotylus ericetorum
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Garlyne Moss on 25 August 2024
About: Plant bugs of the species Orthotylus ericetorum can be found on heather in various corners of Great Britain.
Orthotylus virescens
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 11 August 2023
About: Orthotylus virescens is one of several species of plant bug associated with broom and can be found in various corners of Great Britain.
Date range for adult records: 26 July to 11 August
Pantilius tunicatus
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Glenbeg Estate on 18 August 2024
About: Plant bugs of the species Pantilius tunicatus live on hazel, alder, and birch trees. They can be found in various corners of Great Britain but are less commonly encountered to the north.
Editor's note: The bug in the photograph was a nymph rather than an adult.
Phytocoris pini
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Garlyne Moss on 24 August 2024
About: Plant bugs of the species Phytocoris pini can be found on pines in scattered areas of Great Britain. The Scottish Highlands represent a significant part of their known distribution.
Date range for adult records: 1 August to 24 August
Pinalitus cervinus
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 30 August 2024
About: Plant bugs of the species Pinalitus cervinus can be found on lime, hazel, ash, and ivy in various corners of Great Britain.
Plagiognathus arbustorum
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Nethy Bridge on 5 September 2021
About: Bugs of this species can be found from the far north to the far south of Great Britain. They are associated with a range of plants, especially nettles, and where present can be abundant. Individuals range in colour from pale green to black.
Date range for adult records: 26 July to 7 September
Plagiognathus chrysanthemi
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Nethy Bridge on 5 August 2024
About: Bugs in the species Plagiognathus chrysanthemi are widespread across Great Britain. They are associated with plants in the daisy family, including yarrow, ragwort, and oxeye daisy.
Date range for adult records: 5 August to 9 September
Psallus falleni
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Carrbridge golf course on 2 September 2021
About: Plant bugs of the species Psallus falleni can be found on birch in most corners of Great Britain.
Stenodema holsata
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 22 August 2024
About: Grass bugs of the species Stenodema holsata are mostly absent from the south-east of Great Britain but are widespread elsewhere. They are the commonest member of the genus Stenodema in upland areas, and they seem to be particularly at home where purple moor-grass is dominant.
Date range for adult records: 21 May to 7 September
Zygimus nigriceps
Group: PLANT BUGS
Where and when encountered: Anagach Woods on 26 June 2024
About: The plant bug Zygimus nigriceps is a rare species with a dependence on juniper scrub habitat in the north of Great Britain.
Hawthorn shieldbug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale)
Group: SHIELDBUGS
Where and when encountered: Nethy Bridge on 30 May 2022
About: Insects belonging to this species are among the largest shieldbugs found in Great Britain. They can be encountered across the length and breadth of the country, although records from northern Scotland are comparatively few in number. In addition to hawthorn, larval food-plants include oaks, hazel, and birches.
Date range for adult records: 13 May to 30 May
Cow-wheat shieldbug (Adomerus biguttatus)
Group: SHIELDBUGS
Where and when encountered: Abernethy Forest on 12 April 2024
About: Cow-wheat shieldbugs are a rare species in Great Britain, with very few sightings having been made in Scotland in recent decades. The present scarcity in Great Britain is thought to be linked to the decline of traditional canopy-opening woodland management.
Editor's note: It is funny that I spotted this rare species on the day I did, as the observation came during a brisk hour-long walk through the woods to make the start time for an activity in which I was engaged – a walk during which I was endeavouring to avoid any distractions. I stopped just once during the hour, to take a gulp of water, and it was then that I saw the beautiful insect photographed.
Birch shieldbug (Elasmostethus interstinctus)
Group: SHIELDBUGS
Where and when encountered: Nethy Bridge on 26 August 2021
About: This is one of the few species of shieldbug occurring across the length and breadth of Great Britain. Individuals can be found in woodland where birch, hazel, or aspen grows, as well as on isolated urban trees.
Editor's note: Most of the individuals in the photograph are wingless, pre-adult members of the species.
Date range for adult records: 5 May to 17 October
Parent bug (Elasmucha grisea)
Group: SHIELDBUGS
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 17 June 2022
About: Parent bugs get their name from the maternal brood care exhibited by the species, with female adults guarding eggs and hatched young. These shieldbugs feed on birch and alder and are widespread across Great Britain.
Date range for adult records: 4 June to 6 September
Red-legged shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes)
Group: SHIELDBUGS
Where and when encountered: Sluggan (Carrbridge) on 8 July 2022
About: Red-legged shieldbugs – also known as 'forest bugs' – are unusual among Great Britain shieldbug fauna in overwintering in a pre-adult state. They feed on fluids taken from plants and small invertebrates and can be found in most corners of Great Britain.
Date range for adult records: 27 June to 26 August
Spiked shieldbug (Picromerus bidens)
Group: SHIELDBUGS
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 6 August 2024
About: Spiked shieldbugs are predatory insects, feeding chiefly on the larvae of butterflies, moths, and sawflies. They can be found from the far north to the far south of Great Britain.
Date range for adult records: 6 August to 14 September
Gorse shieldbug (Piezodorus lituratus)
Group: SHIELDBUGS
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 10 August 2023
About: Gorse shieldbugs feed on a range of leguminous plants, including gorse and broom (the latter, as in the photograph). They can be found from the far north of Great Britain down to the far south, but most records in Scotland to date have come from locations near the coast.
Editor's note: The individual photographed is a final-instar nymph.
Date range for adult records: 21 April to 25 April
Heather shieldbug (Rhacognathus punctatus)
Group: SHIELDBUGS
Where and when encountered: Boat of Garten on 26 August 2024
About: Heather shieldbugs are predatory insects with a strong link to heather and heather-dominated habitats. They may be encountered in various corners of Great Britain but are scarce where present.
Date range for adult records: 9 May to 26 August
Bronze shieldbug (Troilus luridus)
Group: SHIELDBUGS
Where and when encountered: Glenmore Forest Park on 24 June 2024
About: Bronze shieldbugs are predatory insects of broadleaved and coniferous woodland, where they feed on the larvae of sawflies, moths, and butterflies. They are more commonly encountered in England and Wales than in Scotland. Recent records from northern and western Scotland are suggestive of an expanding distribution, but the species may not be present (yet) in the far north of the region.
Editor's note: The shieldbug was feeding on the caterpillar of a common quaker moth.
Macrosaldula scotica
Group: SHOREBUGS
Where and when encountered: Sluggan (Carrbridge) on 27 June 2024
About: The shorebug Macrosaldula scotica can be encountered running over riverside pebbles, stones, and boulders in the uplands of Great Britain.
Common shorebug (Saldula saltatoria)
Group: SHOREBUGS
Where and when encountered: Abernethy Forest on 18 October 2024
About: Common shorebugs are predatory insects. They are typically found alongside waterways, ponds, and ditches, and they can be encountered across Great Britain.
Date range for adult records: 8 April to 18 October
Selected galleries
[ARCTIC ALPINE PLANTS] [BUTTERFLIES] [DRAGONFLIES] [FORBS] [FUNGI] [GALLS] [HYMENOPTERANS] [LONGHORN BEETLES] [MOTHS] [SELECTIONS BY EDITOR] [SHIELDBUGS] [TRUE BUGS] [TRUE FLIES] [UNCOMMON PINEWOOD HERBS] [WOODY PLANTS]