Check those garden Ox-eyes

Inspecting the flower heads of Ox-eye Daisy in the garden I noticed a couple of small beetles. They were so small, and my eyes so middle-aged, that the colouring and patterning was not at first clear. A hand lens revealed a couple of beauties - it was a species that I hadn't knowingly seen before, although I was sure that I had seen images of it somewhere. A brief search of the literature and I had an identification, that of Varied Carpet Beetle (Anthrenus verbasci), pictured above. Soon after a number of Oedemera nobilis were also visiting the daisies (below).

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