#burrowingbug

[norfolknaturalist]

Happy Mother's Day! This is a White-margined Burrowing Bug (Sehirus cinctus) in my backyard, May 2018. These bugs create shallow burrows in which to lay their clutch of 50-150 eggs. She guards and grooms these eggs, not even feeding herself during this time. Once the eggs hatch and the nymphs emerge, she continues to defend them and finds mint seeds and brings them to her brood for food. After the next couple weeks, the nymphs begin to leave the burrow on foraging trips, many of which will be accompanied by their mother still. These bugs demonstrate that even among insects, mothers can be protective, caring and nurturing. . . . . . . . #nature #ontario #happymothersday #parentalcare #maternalcare #sehiruscinctus #burrowingbug #hemiptera #truebugs #gardeninsects #gardenwildlife #macrophotography #invert_macro #cydnidae #insects_of_our_world #insect #insects #insectsofinstagram #norfolkcounty #norfolkwild #blognorfolk #simcoeontario (at Simcoe, Ontario) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAARVxoAcm5/?igshid=g70h295vjioa