Alder Leaf Beetle

I found this very beautiful beetle in abundance around Lymm Damned Woods.

"Alder leaf beetle is an 7-8 mm long dark metallic blue beetle that feeds on alder (Alnus) and is occasionally found on other deciduous trees such as beech (Fagus sylvatica), hazel (Corylus) and hornbeam (Carpinus betulus). It overwinters as adults which emerge in the spring, sometimes in large numbers.

Alder leaf beetle was considered extinct in Britain with almost no records of it between 1946 and 2003. In 2004 larvae and adults were found in Manchester and it is now widespread in north-west England. In 2014 it was re-discovered in Hampshire and is now widespread in adjacent areas. In some areas this beetle has become very abundant and can cause significant defoliation".