Rose chafer

Cetonia aurata Today, 3 October

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

now overwintering 188 days

overwintering Insect here all year

The whole year

1 October – 9 April

the coastal calendar, unshifted

Sitting the year outGetting readyYoung aboutYoung leaving

Where to look

On elder and rose flowers in full sun, eating the petals; compost heaps hold the grubs.

Worth knowing

The grub is a compost engine and does no harm to roots, which is worth knowing before destroying a heap full of them. Adults fly with the wing cases closed, which is why the flight looks wrong for a beetle.

Look it up

photos, sightings and recordings, off this site

iNaturalist — photos and where people are seeing it Wikipedia — Cetonia aurata

Regions

where this species is on the list

Dalmatian coastKvarner and IstriaVelebit and the DinaridesSlavonia and the Pannonian plainTukhlia, Ukrainian Carpathians

Phase by phase

dates as they fall in the region chosen above

Phase	When	Length	What it means
overwintering	1 October – 9 April	191 days	The species passes winter as an egg, larva or pupa; no adult is on the wing.
adults on the wing	10 April – 9 May	30 days	The new generation is out, winged and looking for a mate.
courting	10 May – 31 May	22 days	Song, display, fighting, scent-marking — pairs forming or reaffirming.
on eggs	1 June – 24 June	24 days	Clutch laid and being incubated, or buried and left to the sun.
larvae feeding	25 June – 30 September	98 days	Caterpillars, grubs or nymphs feeding and growing.

Other insects in this region

Buff-tailed bumblebeeCleopatra butterflyCommon glow-wormEuropean hornetEuropean mantisGreat cicadaGreat green bush-cricketHummingbird hawk-mothScarce swallowtailSwallowtailTwo-tailed pashaViolet carpenter beeWestern honey bee

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