Insect book that promises not to bug you

IF you have a vegetable garden May and June are the months when the weeds try to take it over. They seem particularly aggressive this year, probably because May was rather wet and the soil is still holding a lot of moisture. So I’m spending time using the hoe, or on my knees hand-weeding the spots where the hoe is too indiscriminate a weapon. This year, however, I have a new interest. I’m looking out for the forget-me-not shield bug.

There are several species of wild forget- me-not in Ireland, plus cultivated varieties, but the field forget-me-not is one of the worst weeds in my garden. It is one of the dowdier members of the family with tiny blue flowers and hairy, slightly grey, leaves. It is also the host plant for a sap-sucking insect called the forget-me-not shield bug.

The interesting thing about the bug is that it has only been recorded from counties Kilkenny and Kildare and it hasn’t been seen since 1920. My garden full of forget-me-nots is in Co Kildare so, as I’m down on my knees weeding, I fantasise about rediscovering the rarest of Ireland’s 17 species of shield bug. I reckon that the reason it hasn’t been spotted in nearly a century is that there aren’t too many people with the knowledge, or even the inclination, to recognise it. It’s black and somewhat beetle like and only 7mm to 9mm long. So I’ve familiarised myself with its distinguishing characteristics although, on going back to the reference sources, I’ve discovered that I’m a little bit premature because it’s seldom seen before July.