Stag beetle

Lucanus cervus Today, 3 October

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

now in the pupa 21 days

in the pupa Insect here all year

The whole year

8 September – 24 October

the coastal calendar, shifted 24 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	25 August – 7 September	14 days	Caterpillars, grubs or nymphs feeding and growing.
in the pupa	8 September – 24 October	47 days	Rebuilt inside a chrysalis or cocoon; the animal cannot move or feed.
overwintering	25 October – 12 June	231 days	The species passes winter as an egg, larva or pupa; no adult is on the wing.
adults on the wing	13 June – 28 June	16 days	The new generation is out, winged and looking for a mate.
courting	29 June – 24 July	26 days	Song, display, fighting, scent-marking — pairs forming or reaffirming.
on eggs	25 July – 24 August	31 days	Clutch laid and being incubated, or buried and left to the sun.

Other insects in this region

Buff-tailed bumblebeeCommon glow-wormEuropean hornetEuropean mantisGreat green bush-cricketHummingbird hawk-mothRose chaferScarce swallowtailSwallowtailWestern honey bee

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