Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Hemipterans

These were no more than tiny red specks on this fallen branch (maybe an inch to an inch and a half diameter) and in fact I stopped to look because I thought it might be some kind of teeny red fungi. However, when I picked up the branch to take a closer look, the specks all started to move - fast! I believe these are Hemipterans, True Bugs, more specifically Shield Bugs or Stink Bugs. Nymphs, the immature insects, are more difficult to accurately identify, but our money is on the Harlequin Bug, Murgantia histrionica." From What's that Bug?. The above information was not on my photo, but someone else's of what seemed to be identical insects. I love the red and black and the three lines on each perfect little bug. Found on the private, southern edge of the Ann and Sandy Cross Conservation Area, just southwest of the city, on Sunday - oh, I guess that was yesterday : )