Shown approximately 3x lifesize, here is a Summer Chafer I rescued from the pond this afternoon. A couple of his friends weren't so lucky.
For the past few nights, I've noticed large numbers (c100+) of these beasties swarming around the top of my back garden Ash tree at dusk. Though it was getting a bit dark to see, closer examination through binoculars revealed that there was rather a lot of mating going on among the leaves. I don't remember seeing these beetles before but perhaps I don't look hard enough.
A Google search for information on the species doesn't reveal very much - mainly tips on how best to kill them. The grubs eat grass roots so they aren't flavour of the month with gardeners. I'm told that Summer Chafers are a favourite snack for Noctule bats, but I've only seen Black-headed Gulls eating them so far...
photo taken with Nikon Coolpix 995
