Identify bug?

Can anyone tell me what this is?

yarrow2,

Looks like a Cardinal Beetle - Pyrochroa serraticornis. Harmless, lays eggs in old wood. Likes a sunny day on a flower head.

Joe

Sue - hi.  I'm in Edinburgh as well - maybe yours have migrated to my garden!  Thanks for the identification.  I'm getting a lot of these 'soldier beetles' at the moment and haven't really noticed them around before.  They tend to linger on my Ox-eye Daisies.

Yes 'this year' has been less than predictable other than we seem to just wait for the next batch of showers ' - hasn't been the best one for the non-rain loving plants has it.  A few snatches of sun yesterday and today though but weatherman not optimistic from tomorrow.  Seemed to highlight Wednesday for a big downpour.

Many thanks for the reply.

Sue,

Hadn't thought of Cantharis rustica - you may be right.

Joe

However, it's not a bug (Hemiptera) but a beetle (Coleoptera)

Hi Joe - sorry I hadn't responded to your earlier post - it wasn't up when I was typing in the last reply.  Thanks for taking the trouble to input.  I'm needing to spend some time looking up (especially photos) of bugs and beetles to get more familiar.

Beetles have chewing mouth parts, whereas bugs pierce and suck their food through a sort of beak which is held underneath the head of the insect when not in use. Beetles' wing cases meet in a neat line along the back, and the front end of the wing cases forms a straight line across the insect. Bugs' wings are much more varied in appearance.

Sorry, Sue, didn't mean to appear pedantic.  The problem is that at some stage of being interested in these critters I found it useful to be a be a bit more analytical. Also, I used to get told off by a good friend who was a very skilled entomologist.

Joe

Joe/Sue:  What's this one? It's been in the same place on one of my foxgloves for 3 days.  If it's still there tomorrow I'm tempted to poke it in case it has 'ceased to be'.

Hi, that looks like a Crane Fly, (Daddy Long Legs) quite short lived so may well have expired.  They live just long enough to lay their eggs in the soil so their grubs can eat the roots of your lawn  etc .

I don't like them , but the blackbirds and woodpeckers come searching for them so they don't seem to cause me a problem .  However, if  I find one when I'm digging and I'm sure of my identification I squidge it and put it with the bird feeders. 

Hi Dovefromabove.  Yes, I thought it was Cranefly - very attractive.  Wouldn't be surprised if the lawn isn't full of their grubs.  I've had to re-sow it every Spring the last 3 years and whilst I'm sure the main problem is compaction and drainage problems, there seems to be no shortage of blighters eating away underground.  I've hoe'd everywhere today and done some in-between digging to get some air at the soil after so much prolonged rain.  Was great to have some breezes and sunny spells.

The birds in this garden don't seem to really go for nasties in this garden.  They don't even seem interested in the slugs and snails, of which there are plenty at the moment.  Whenever I've put a handfull of nasties around the feeders, they just ignore them - live or not.  On saying that, a lot of birds have not been around this summer.