The male of Oedemera nobilis, as in most Oedemera species, possesses the hind femora very swollen, whereas in female the femora are thin; the elytra are strongly narrowed towards the apexes, not hiding the membranous hind wings. It is bright green, frequently with a golden or coppery shine; some individuals are blue or violaceous. It can only be confused with Oedemera flavipes (which does not live in England), from which it differs by its colour, as well as by the long white pubescence on the head, pronotum and hind tibiae of males.

Oedemera nobilis is abundant in spring on several flower species; the males are very conspicuous by their swollen femora and bright green colour.

Currently, there are only seven recognised species of honey bee with a total of 44 subspecies, though historically, anywhere from six to eleven species have been recognised. Honey bees represent only a small fraction of the approximately 20,000 known species of bees. Some other types of related bees produce and store honey, but only members of the genus Apis are true honey bees.

Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae, from the Ancient Greek word “λύκος” meaning “wolf”. They are robust and agile hunters with good eyesight. They live mostly solitary lives and hunt alone. Some are opportunistic hunters pouncing upon prey as they find it or even chasing it over short distances. Some will even wait for passing prey in or near the mouth of a burrow.

Wolf spiders resemble Nursery web spiders (family Pisauridae), but they carry their egg sacs by attaching them to their spinnerets (Pisauridae carry their egg sacs with their chelicerae and pedipalps). Two of the Wolf spider’s eight eyes are large and prominent, which distinguishes them from the Nursery web spiders whose eyes are all of approximately equal size.

The Common Field Grasshopper is one of the most frequently seen grasshoppers in England, along side the Mottled, the Common Green and the Meadow Grasshopper. It is sometimes mistaken for a cricket although a cricket has quite long antennae and the Common Field Grasshopper has relatively short antennae.

Sehirus bicolor. This distinctive little 7mm long shield bug feeds on White dead nettle. The female lays her eggs in the ground and tends to them and the hatched nymphs until they are feeding for themselves. This caring behaviour is not all that common among insects.

Shieldbugs are named after their heraldic shield-like shape and belong to the order Hemiptera. They frequent most types of vegetation and whilst some species are carnivorous, most feed on foliage and berries etc. Shieldbugs go through several stages of growth called nymphs, which are as frequently found as the adults.

Chuffed to bits to find this in the garden