Meet the Beetles of Lewes Community Allotment.

I had a lovely time at Lewes Community Allotment yesterday with the lovely folk of St Nicks and Flourish.

I took the team on a beetle safari around the lovely allotment which is always packed full of organic plants and lots of wildlife.

First up we found a wasp beetle and we talked about how this insect is trying to scare predators (and us) by pretending to be nastier than it actually is.

A black-striped longhorn beetle was basking on an oxeye daisy

...and on the brambles we found a swollen-thighed beetle which looked like it had spent a little too long on the running machine.

The asparagus was covered in asparagus beetles...

and we found an orchid beetle (although Laura though I had called it an awkward beetle).

It was nice to see plenty of 7-spot ladybirds around the plot...

...but the star of the show was this gorgeous rose chafer - a Lewes speciality.

And it was a nice surpise to see this Small Blue butterfly in the raised vegetable beds too.

Thanks to everyone at St Nicks and Flourish for a lovely morning on this wonderful allotment.