Rosemary Beetle

Chrysolina americana

This attractive beetle is from a family called Chrysomelidae the leaf beetles. It is a fairly recent newomer to Britain, introduced in the 1990s and now established in most of England and Wales, and still expanding its range. It is considered a pest of Rosemary, Lavender, Sage, Thyme and similar plants, both the adult and the larva feeding on the foliage. It is the first time I have seen it here, and will have to see if it is a ‘pest’ as such. It is 6.7-8 mm long. The adults can be seen throughout the year, even during winter.

Rosemary Beetle Chrysolina americana
It kind of doesn’t look real, but looks manufactured from copper or the like.
Rosemary Beetle Chrysolina americana
Note the deeply ‘punched’ markings forming rows on the elytra and the sides of the protonum.

41 thoughts on “Rosemary Beetle”

  5. shoreacres
    Reply

    I can’t find the photo just now, but I know I’ve seen a beetle with those same ‘punched’ markings. I wonder if they serve some purpose? It certainly is a lovely thing — I hope it stays lovely, and doesn’t turn into a pest in your garden.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Peter Hillman
      Reply

      I will see about the pest thing, as I grow Rosemary and Lavender. I wondered about the ‘punched’ markings myself, and how they got worked into the evolution of such beetles which sport them.

      Like

  17. Sandra
    Reply

    Wow! This looks like a metal ornament. It’s so wild to imagine it walking around. You captured it beautifully. The very tiny details all clearly visible! So nicely done. Thank you Pete!

    Liked by 1 person

Your thoughts ...

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.