#graphosoma

the varying shades of brown coloration on Graphosoma italicum nymphs contrast heavily with the adults' very recognizable vivid red, but this individual, who's probably pink as a result of having molted recently, gives the impression of a halfway point between the two. like when a kid looks eerily grown up

Minstrel bug on forget me nots - not a random choice, today is ME awareness day, and forget me nots are widely used as the symbol. We might be missing from the outside world, but forget us not, please - we want to live. We need biomedical research and an end to the abusive use of GET and CBT, we need a cure.

(Graphosoma italicum, on Myosotis spec., M. sylvatica probably)

Stribetæge (Graphosoma italicum)

Imago

Striped Bug (Graphosoma italicum)

i don't know the identity of the tachinid flies that parasitize Graphosoma italicum around here (probably Ectophasia), but they're common enough that finding eggs on a host is not the rarest thing ever, and in fact i've posted some before. this was my first time seeing one on a mating individual though, and it's interesting to think about - if this is a male, at least he did his job before the inevitable. if it's a female, it's unlikely she can lay her eggs before the appearance of a very hungry baby fly

here's a very pretty Ectophasia for those who need more tachinids in their life (everyone). in an already very recognizable family, these are some of the flashiest, and thankfully very calm as well

these flies and their relatives are conspicuous parasitoids of hemipterans. the breath mints at the base of this Graphosoma italicum's wings are tachinid eggs just like the one our blonde protagonist once came out of