Noble chafer
Encyclopedia
The noble chafer is a green beetle
with a metallic sheen. It spends much of its life as a grub
, living in the rotting wood of aging fruit trees. It reaches adulthood in its second summer, and crawls out to breed and feed on flowers such as common hogweed
, before dying in the early autumn. The adult tends to be found high up in the trees, in old pruned wood or woodpecker
holes.
So little is known about the noble chafer that conservationist
s are unsure exactly how many are left. Noble chafers are most often seen on sunny days between July and August. The beetle has been losing its habitat
, and its populations shrinking, for more than a century. The beetle has been recently seen at a handful of sites in the old English
fruit-growing regions of Gloucestershire
, Herefordshire
and Worcestershire
.
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
with a metallic sheen. It spends much of its life as a grub
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
, living in the rotting wood of aging fruit trees. It reaches adulthood in its second summer, and crawls out to breed and feed on flowers such as common hogweed
Common Hogweed
Heracleum sphondylium, common names Common Hogweed or Cow parsnip, is a herbaceous perennial or biennial plant of the family Apiaceae. It is an umbelliferous plant, in the same group as fennel, cow parsley, ground elder and giant hogweed...
, before dying in the early autumn. The adult tends to be found high up in the trees, in old pruned wood or woodpecker
Woodpecker
Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....
holes.
So little is known about the noble chafer that conservationist
Conservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
s are unsure exactly how many are left. Noble chafers are most often seen on sunny days between July and August. The beetle has been losing its habitat
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
, and its populations shrinking, for more than a century. The beetle has been recently seen at a handful of sites in the old English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
fruit-growing regions of Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
and Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
.
External links
- UK Biodiversity Action Plan Species Action Plan
- People's Trust for Endangered Species Biodiversity Action Plan: Noble Chafer
- http://www.hlasek.com/gnorimus_nobilis_10481.html