I agree about the flower being grape hyacinth. It can spread a bit in the UK, not sure of uses other than being a pretty flower...
You've got the same problem I have with my phone camera - it always focusses on distant objects rather than what I want it to...Saying that I'm wondering if it is some sort of oil beetle? Looks a bit like the ones I see here.
Kyle photographed one
at the labs here and Jan White identified it a bit further down that boot thread. They're cool bugs to have. I call them the cuckoos of the insect world as they hitch rides on bumblebees back to their nests and then steal the food the bees bring back. Around here they are a sign of a healthy bee population.