Every morning this week (very early), I’ve noticed a pair of very tiny birds visiting the
Cordia in the back yard. I suspected they were Verdins and was happy to find they were!
My initial intent was to plant only native plants and shrubs in the yard but seeing how
much the Verdins and other birds love the Cordia, I’m thinking of planting another one!
Here’s a shot captured this morning with my Canon SX10. (too bad it’s in shade)
Click HERE for a better photo and more info.
I had narrowed down the genus of this bug to Trichodes but I was just informed by Mike Thomas at BugGuide.net that this is a Buprestidae aka Jewel Beetle. Thanks for the ID, Mike. (Next time I’ll wait for an ID before I post!)
There were so many of these bugs on this Cordia that the flowers didn’t stand a chance. Maybe when I get over the fascination, I’ll think about discouraging the plant eating bugs in my yard 🙂
(canon 24-70 at 70mm w/500D diopter. Color in background is decomposed granite.)