Ladybug, dragonfly, firefly… everything you need to know about the little summer insects

The gendarme, in red and black
Because of its very showy appearance, the pyrrhocore collects nicknames. The gendarme, the soldier or even the Swiss allude to the red uniform of the gendarmes (contraction of “gens d’armes”) and Swiss guards recruited into the royal army in the 18th century. Children often call it the “man’s head” because of the African mask drawn in black on its shell. In winter, the insect takes refuge under the bark of trees or dead leaves. To feed, it sucks the juice from rotting lime tree seeds or insects. In the summer, it likes to warm itself in the sun, hence its other nickname: the midday seeker. The bug lives with its peers in colonies, not to mention gendarmerie brigades.

The cicada, queen of cymbal