Title: Nature Notes - Black and Yellow Longhorn Beetle (Rutpela maculata)

As you wander the lanes and footpaths of the countryside in summer (from June to September) keep an eye on the flower heads of the white umbellifer species of flowers, especially hogweed. Amongst the many insects you will find is the striking spotted longhorn beetle. Maculata tends to infer spotted and this beetle has black spots on a copper coloured background. This gives it a 'wasp-like' dangerous appearance to would be predators but it is quite harmless. The long black antennae give it its 'longhorn' name but of course there are not horns! 

It is quite big (about half an inch long) and so it is easily spotted and once it gets its head into a good helping of hogweed pollen it seems to become oblivious to surrounding activity and so is quite easy to get a close look at. When it is not gorging itself on hogweed pollen it is laying its eggs in rotting tree stumps which is where the larvae live.

It is one of my favourite beetles and I look forward every summer to seeing it.