Common green shieldbug (Palomena prasina)

Common shieldbug

The Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina) was once restricted to Southern England, but has since been moving northwards and is now quite widespread. It can be found in all kinds of habitats from gardens to farms.

A recent beneficiary of climate change, the common green shieldbug was once restricted to Southern England. In recent years, however, it has been on the march, and is now common and widespread across much of England and Wales, and spreading further northwards. The common green shieldbug feeds on a wide variety of plants, helping to make this one species which could turn up anywhere from garden to farm. Adults overwinter and emerge in spring, laying their eggs on the undersides of leaves. The rounded nymphs appear in June and new adults are present in early autumn.

How to identify

There are two species of green shieldbug in the UK – one native (Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina) ) and one that arrived very recently from Europe (the southern green shieldbug, Nezara viridula). The common green shieldbug is bright green with tiny black dots and dark wings, while the southern green shieldbug is uniformly green in colour and has pale wing membranes.