FIND THE SCARLET MALACHITE BEETLE
 

The Scarlet malachite beetle Malachius aeneus, a beautiful red and green insect found on just eight sites in the UK.

The beetle emerges in early May (last year the first beetle appeared on Wednesday 2nd May - almost a week earlier than usual) and will be out and about until mid June. So now is the time to get out into gardens and the countryside to see if you can find this rare and beautiful little animal.

Photograph © and courtesy of Chris Gibson

Photograph © and courtesy of Robert Loader

It will live in the fields and hedgerows for just over a month, before disappearing for another year. The beetle is found mainly in Essex, Cambridgeshire and Hampshire, although it was once found in counties across the south and east of england.

Our partners Buglife are running the survey, and over the past couple of years the survey results have helped the organisation find four new sites for the beetle. This year Buglife is hoping for more new sightings - click here to take part.