Rare tiny beetle found in Norfolk

A tiny but significant endangered beetle has been found for the first time in Norfolk – becoming just the third site in the UK to house the species.

The Tansy beetle has now been recorded at the Welney Wetland Centre. At just 10mm long, the distinctive Tansy is however one of the chunkiest around, with an outer shell of iridescent green with stripes of red and gold.

Tansy beetles are a protected species in the UK due to their extremely restricted distribution.

Until now, the insects were thought to be restricted to just two sites in the UK, Woodwalton Fen and the River Ouse in York.

Several stages of the life cycle have been recorded on the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust’s Welney site, in the form of adult beetles and larva, putting the charity at the forefront of invertebrate conservation in the UK. Samantha Herbert