This is a young green shield bug on a Dahlia bud in Bed H. They get a bit more brown as the year goes on, and are sometimes known as stink bugs because they can produce a stinky smell from special glands if they are handled or disturbed.
In the Old Pond Garden we see several kinds of shield bugs – find out more about how to tell the difference between the main types: Shield Bug ID
Have a look at a green shield bug under the microscope:
Find all the Bugs in the Old Pond Garden (there are ten altogether), put the letters together and find the final Bug!
If you spot any real live bugs / creatures / insects in the Old Pond Garden today, try to take a photograph and find out what it is. We’d love to see it, so if you post on Instagram you can tag us: @cabahs_hortisoc and use the hashtag #BugsInTheBeds
This page is part of the ‘Bugs in the Beds’ trail running on the Old Pond Garden, Charlton House, on 21st May 2023.
Charlton and Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society 