Flashy Visitor

Many of the winged visitors to our small acreage are migratory.  They stop briefly for a meal and a drink and maybe rest a few days before continuing on their journey north or south depending on the season.  Others are somewhat permanent and spend much of the year in the area.

A couple of days ago my attention was drawn to a very small visitor, but I don't know if he was a permanent resident or just passing through.  I did some research on him to see if I might determine what he did and whether he was a productive member of society but could find very little information that might shed light other than he was attracted to Passionflowers.  To my knowledge, we don't have such on our place.

You may have heard of Passionfruit and perhaps even tried some.  It seems there are around 550 species in the genus, and they are scattered around the world.  They are known primarily for their beautiful flowers.  It is possible we have some Passion vines on our place, but as of now, I don't know.  The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center indicates that Passion vines are found in Texas, so I suspect we have some.

 The tiny visitor to which I am referring is the Passionflower Flea Beetle (Disonycha discoidea).  He's a flashy little critter but I had never seen one before that I recall.  I suspect he can consume a large quantity of leaf for such a small size.