Perhaps the most familiar of the UK's bugs are the Shieldbugs, which as their name suggests, often have a shield-like body shape.

At the time of writing 46 species of Shieldbug have been recorded in the UK, with 27 of those having occurred in Bedfordshire. Most species can be reliably identified from photographs, making this one of the easiest group of bugs to get to grips with.

As the name suggests, the Lygaeidae, or Groundbugs, are often terrestrial in their habits, although some species have found niches on trees and other plants. Many species are predominantly brown or red in colour, often with intricate markings that reward closer inspection.

92 species of Lygaeidae have been recorded in the UK, with 56 of those having occurred in Bedfordshire. Whilst some species are very distinctive and readily recognised from photographs, others will require closer inspection and may only be identifiable with a specimen.

The Miridae, or plant bugs, are the largest family of bugs found in the UK, with 238 species having been recorded. Of these, 177 have been recorded in Bedfordshire. These are hugely variable in size, shape and colouration, although a frustrating number of species are large plain green in colouration.

Splitting the Miridae into a series of tribes helps to make getting to grips with them a more manageable proposition, and that is the approach taken here.