Rose chafer

Cetonia aurata Today, 3 October

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

now larvae feeding 11 days

larvae feeding Insect here all year

The whole year

9 July – 14 October

the coastal calendar, shifted 14 days later for this region

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	15 October – 23 April	191 days	The species passes winter as an egg, larva or pupa; no adult is on the wing.
adults on the wing	24 April – 23 May	30 days	The new generation is out, winged and looking for a mate.
courting	24 May – 14 June	22 days	Song, display, fighting, scent-marking — pairs forming or reaffirming.
on eggs	15 June – 8 July	24 days	Clutch laid and being incubated, or buried and left to the sun.
larvae feeding	9 July – 14 October	98 days	Caterpillars, grubs or nymphs feeding and growing.

Other insects in this region

Buff-tailed bumblebeeCommon glow-wormEuropean hornetEuropean mantisGreat green bush-cricketHummingbird hawk-mothScarce swallowtailStag beetleSwallowtailViolet carpenter beeWestern honey bee

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