Knapweed Mirid

I went out looking for a nice specimen of a fat thighed beetle to capture properly with my macro lens. None. :(

Looking while the lunch soup was cooking I spotted a pair of tiny wasps. At first I thought it was a wasp preying on a bee. I looked closer, it was two wasps, one of which had lots of tiny mites on its abdomen. A friend has discovered that the mites are bodyguards. How fascinating.

I discovered a blue tit nest under the lagging of our disused steam boiler. Can't tog the nest as it is deeply out of sight but am returning tomorrow morning when the light should be better to capture the parents.

I think this is a Mirid. Afraid I haven't been able to identify it. :( It is on Common Knapweed. I love photographing this. Soon the buds will develop a lovely chequerboard pattern.