Francis Hickenbottom’s Nature Notes.
It is strange how it is possible to notice a creature for the first time in a familiar
place and then to see it repeatedly in the following days. Last week, I was in Pembrokeshire
again and spotted a dark-coloured, lumbering creature.
The creature is obviously the larval form of one of the large beetles and a little
research has shown that it is an immature bloody-nosed beetle (Timarcha tenebricosa).
The bloody-nosed beetle’s distribution is in the south and west of Britain, with
a preference for coastal districts, which explains why I should see it in Pembrokeshire
and not in my usual haunts. I guess that the timing of my trip was also just right
for the appearance of the larvae.
It was interesting to see one of these heavy-looking insects near the top of a tall
grass stem in the woods at Aber Mawr. It is also fascinating to think that such a
slow-moving larva turns into an adult which also moves very slowly and is flightless.
It is hard to see how such insects could extend their distribution.
At first it appeared to be black but it was actually a metallic green colour when
viewed in good light.
There were lots of colourful cardinal beetles around during the week and I spent
some time watching the activities of ruby-tailed wasps. The ruby-tailed wasps are
parasitic on solitary bees and I watched them as they flew around in front of a sunny
house wall and occasionally went into holes in the stonework. The wasps usually spent
a few seconds in each hole. They would have been searching for the nests of solitary
bees in which to place their own eggs.
