Stag beetle

Lucanus cervus Today, 3 October

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

now in the pupa 7 days

in the pupa Insect here all year

The whole year

25 August – 10 October

the coastal calendar, shifted 10 days later for this region

Sitting the year outGetting readyYoung aboutYoung leaving

Where to look

Old oak stands with rotting stumps; flies at dusk in June, heavily and noisily.

Worth knowing

Three to six years as a grub in dead wood, then four weeks as an adult that barely feeds. Slavonian oak forest is one of its European strongholds, and it disappears wherever stumps are ground out for tidiness.

Look it up

photos, sightings and recordings, off this site

iNaturalist — photos and where people are seeing it Wikipedia — Lucanus cervus

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
larvae feeding	11 August – 24 August	14 days	Caterpillars, grubs or nymphs feeding and growing.
in the pupa	25 August – 10 October	47 days	Rebuilt inside a chrysalis or cocoon; the animal cannot move or feed.
overwintering	11 October – 29 May	231 days	The species passes winter as an egg, larva or pupa; no adult is on the wing.
adults on the wing	30 May – 14 June	16 days	The new generation is out, winged and looking for a mate.
courting	15 June – 10 July	26 days	Song, display, fighting, scent-marking — pairs forming or reaffirming.
on eggs	11 July – 10 August	31 days	Clutch laid and being incubated, or buried and left to the sun.

Other insects in this region

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

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