Birds And More 004 - Rosemary beetle (Chrysolina americana)

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Due to COVID situation all throughout this year, we hardly went out with kids apart from walks, runs, and on bikes. One such outing was to a nearby lavender farm. It wasn't the best of the day, cold and windy but a good outing. The overwhelming fragrance of lavender and bright sunflower made our day good. I was dejected that I wasn't carrying my telephoto lens in my car boot; took it out to for maintenance. Saw Deer, Kestrels, tens of Goldfinches, and loads of beautiful Rosemary Beetle (Chrysolina Americana); I don't have a proper macro lens so with my 35mm all-purpose lens captured beautiful Beetle.

The Rosemary Beetle (Chrysolina americana) originates from southern Europe, it has been widespread in Britain since the mid-1990s. The larvae and adults feed on the foliage of rosemary and related plants (src: RHS).

Rosemary Beetle (Chrysolina Americana)

Isn't it amazing that its name suggests Beetle is from the Americas but it isn't?  The Rosemary beetle eats the foliage and flowers of various aromatic plants, such as rosemary, lavender, sage, thyme, and some other related plants. According to RHS, it is amongst the top 10 garden pests and needs to be managed.







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