Shield bug

The gardener learns to separate friend from foe. Sometimes our foes come in appealing shapes or sizes.

This is the young form of the shield bug (Palomena prasina). It is native to Britain and widespread. Its adult form is the same shield shape with a darker area at the rear end. Adults are about 10mm long and love basking in the sun at this time of year.

They suck sap from a wide range of plants but usually don't cause much damage to cultivated plants, even when numerous.

I'm not sure whether they would make a good hen snack because they are reputed to be smelly when threatened.

Live and let live!