Lace

A small, green creature on our patio this morning, captured my attention.  Picking it up and bringing it inside to take it's picture, it was a Common or Green Lacewing (Crysopa carnea).

The Green Lacewing is an aggregate species and is used to indicate a 'Super species' group of several distinct species which appear to be superficially similar. Of the 14 different species of British green lacewings, Chrysopa carnea is the most common.

Adults such as this will hibernate during the Winter months and emerging in Spring, it will eat pollen and nectar, but it will soon join the immature lacewings in a diet of it's favourites - aphids.  A closer look at it's mouth parts will show the formidable eating utensils which this insect has for mashing up aphids.

Having had it's photo taken, it was returned to the garden, unharmed and now a star of the inter-webs!