Jeweled

I remembered last year when I visited Horsham's beautiful Human Nature Garden I had seen some Rosemary beetles Chrysolina americana on the lavender plants growing there. So, today I went back to see if they were back this year and .... yes they were and in far larger numbers than last year!
This little beetle originates from southern Europe and has only been found in the UK since the mid-1990's. Initially they were found in and around London mainly in gardens, but it is spreading rapidly, and is now widespread throughout England and Wales, feeding on aromatic plants such as Lavender, Rosemary, Thyme and Sage.
Although it is a pest I think it is a very attractive little ((6-7mm) long beetle with metallic purple and green stripes on the wing cases and thorax. It is however a real problem to get a decent photograph of, mainly because it is so shiny and many of my shots do not do the beautiful 'Wimbledon' colour combination justice. Hopefully this one isn't too bad.