Malachite Beetle

This little beetle was really well camouflaged on the ribwort plantain flowerhead, but the red patch on its wing cases (elytra) gave the game away! Another common name for it is Red-Tipped Flower Beetle.

The malachite beetle, presumably because of the greenish tint, is surprisingly hairy when viewed up close! 

As a flower beetle, it mainly eats pollen, flowers and tiny insects so isn’t unwelcome on the plot. As with so many insects, it’s larvae eat even more insects though generally found in tree bark.