Posts
'The bad artists imitate, the great artists steal'
Posted by Graeme Lyons , Monday 9 April 2012 22:13
This is Chrysolina banksi, a new species for me. I tried something a bit different today and invited Penny and Dave over for a crash course in microscopes, keys, beetles, carding etc. It was really good and reminded me I must do more of this. I'll be doing more such days for friends in the near future. I went on a course at Flatford in about October 2009 and that really helped me, so it's great to give something back. It's great to have someone show you the way, just to get you going.
Here they are in action.
Now this painting was placed in the American Museum of Natural History by Banksy (would have been so much better if Oragainstus hadn't been capitalised), it took two days before it was discovered. I wonder if he knows he shares his name with a beetle? If I were to break into his studio and leave a specimen of C. banksi there, how would he like them apples?
Another Chrysolina from the same place, this time the nationally scarce Chrysolina oricalcia. This is a really nice beetle and I've become quite taken with the genus. I would love to see the mental one, Chrysolina cerealis, at the top of Snowdon but I'd be happy to see Chrysolina americana for all it is an alien.
Posted in
Wander round Wandsworth, Wimbledon, Battersea, Vauxhall etc and check any lavender beds. You'll soon find C.americana. Alternatively the Lavender Fields near Banstead is a PYO site. They hand out jam jars for folks to collect the beetles by the 100s. Literally!