Small Yellow Feet, Pt. 4 - _TNY_1832
This little beauty with a blueish metallic sheen and a finely punctated elytra is a Chrysolina varians leaf beetle. The host plant is St John's wort (Hypericum sp.) but here it is sitting at the edge of a leaf of a rhodendron.
Looking closely at its feet and antennae, you can notice they are dirty with yellow pollen which is there because it sat on a different plant first but didn't like it and after opening it's elytra and displaying a wonderful pair of orange wings it flew off - right before I was about to take a shot of those wings!
Not sure if this is a guy or a girl. They are quite variable in colour and can be green, bronze, reddish or blueish black but it doesn't seem to be connected with which sex it is.
Part 1: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/48691243057/
Part 2: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/48901142637/
Small Yellow Feet, Pt. 4 - _TNY_1832
This little beauty with a blueish metallic sheen and a finely punctated elytra is a Chrysolina varians leaf beetle. The host plant is St John's wort (Hypericum sp.) but here it is sitting at the edge of a leaf of a rhodendron.
Looking closely at its feet and antennae, you can notice they are dirty with yellow pollen which is there because it sat on a different plant first but didn't like it and after opening it's elytra and displaying a wonderful pair of orange wings it flew off - right before I was about to take a shot of those wings!
Not sure if this is a guy or a girl. They are quite variable in colour and can be green, bronze, reddish or blueish black but it doesn't seem to be connected with which sex it is.
Part 1: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/48691243057/
Part 2: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/48901142637/