The shining leaf beetles (Criocerinae) are a subfamily of leaf beetles famous for their bright metallic colors, highly specialized diets, and bizarre evolutionary traits. While they include some notorious agricultural and garden pests, they are also evolutionary pioneers. Like many of their leaf beetle cousins (family: Chrysomelidae), individual species can be incredibly picky eaters—often adapting to feed on just a single type of plant. Millions of years ago, the Criocerinae were actually among the very first leaf beetle lineages to adapt to eating angiosperms (flowering plants). I met this stunning, tiny beetle, likely belonging to the Neolema genus, on a river bank. Even though my photography kit back then was bulkier and much harder to handle than what I use today, I managed to capture a few amazing frames. The beautifully blurred rush of the flowing river created the ultimate, dreamy background.