Tortoise beetle

As predicted by the weather forecast, there was a period of heavy rain in the morning, which cleared gradually during the day to leave a fine afternoon. I was very glad we didn't have to go back to Portholme to finish off our quadrats! 

It was a day to catch up with e-mails and admin, with a bit of time pottering in the garden. I also photographed this rather lovely tortoise beetle Cassida vibex, which Pete had found at Godmanchester yesterday. This is a very local species, confined to the southern half of Britain, where it feeds on knapweed and other related plants. This specimen has a particularly well-developed metallic sheen, though not all are quite so attractive!