Whilst picking stinging nettles, a dark metallic blue catches the light and draws my eye. This beetle measuring around 7mm in length feeds mainly on Alder but is occasionally found on other deciduous trees such as Beech, Hazel and Hornbeam. It overwinters as adults, I have spotted one checking into my minibeast hotel for a winter stay, they emerge in the spring. Alder leaf beetles were considered extinct in Britain with almost no records of it between 1946 and 2003! But in 2004 larvae and adults were found in Manchester, it is not known how the beetles reached Manchester, but it is possible they arrived with plant imports.
By River Six Photo by Pixabay
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