The Green Shield Bug is a bright green flat insect that has a body shaped like a knight’s shield and this is why it has its name the ‘Green Shield Bug’.  Like all bugs, it has piercing and sucking mouth parts which this bug uses to suck sap out of plants.  It can be seen in gardens throughout England, but more so in the south.  It is also called the Green Stink Bug because it often leaves a stinking trail wherever it goes and because it releases a smelly substance when it feels threatened.

The Green Shield Bug is about a centimetre in length and is green apart from a dark brown patch at the end of its broad body.  It also has lots of little black dots speckled over its body in spring and summer.  It has two green wings which are thick at the base and fine at the tip and two transparent wings underneath which are thin and flexible. The wings are held flat over the body when the Green Shield Bug is not in flight.  It has six green legs that have brown tips and two long green antennae which also have brown markings at the end of them.

Green Shield Bugs can often be seen basking in the sun on top of plants or on tufts of grass before they hibernate over the cold winter months.  They also turn brown before they hibernate and when they emerge around May, it takes about two weeks before they turn green again.