Nature Notes
The savagery of mountain beetles
Everybody loves The Beatles, right? But do you know the real beetles? Let’s see…
If you keep your eyes to the ground, or your tent unzipped for any length of time when in the mountains, you’re bound to notice the bugs that inhabit that vast landscape. Beetles, shiny-backed, armoured vehicles of the insect world, have long fascinated me. Take a few moments and learn what to look for, because as usual, nature has some surprises.
The violet ground beetle is, I think, the most beetle-like beetle going. As its name suggests, this 35mm long critter spends its time on the ground. All of it in fact, as it’s one of the 352 species of ground beetle in Britain, a few of which have lost the power of flight as its wing cases have fused shut. But what it lacks in wings it makes up for in legs, as they are long, raising the body off the ground and allowing for fast travel. This comes into its own when hunting, and most insects smaller than it are fair game.
Mainly nocturnal, they are still often seen in the day on paths all over the country, but it’s the thought of one getting into your sleeping bag when out camping that keeps the tent door firmly zipped up. The name refers to the purple/violet sheen on the upper body. In the sun it’s quite a sight, and I can never resist having a closer look. Picking them up tends to provoke horror from some of my fellow walkers, while others are lured in by the creatures’ utter beauty. I’ve got rough old hands and when handling one of these beetles you can often feel the hooks at the ends of the legs gripping to the tiny creases in the skin.
Green tiger beetles are day-dwelling sun lovers, and are often found in areas with gritty/sandy soils. In the uplands, it’s places like the North York Moors where I’ve often seen them. At 16mm long, they’re not big, but their colouration is; a metallic green with a few creamy spots to add a little flourish to the outfit. A relentless predator – as are all beetles mentioned – it can reach speeds of up to 60cm a second when chasing prey. When it successfully catches something, its long, serrated and powerful jaws make swift work as the victim is torn to pieces. These beetles fly short distances, sometimes buzzing when they do so. Even at the larvae stage, it’s not one to be messed with. The larvae lives in a bodylength vertical burrow, with only its jaws protruding, ready to pounce as soon as its next victim innocently strolls past...
September is a great time to visit with the Devil. I’m not talking about the fork-tailed one, I’m thinking more the gothically named Devil’s coach horse. This is a rove beetle, and at 25mm long it’s the largest of the 1000 or so of its type in Britain. It doesn’t look much like a beetle, more like an earwig. But don’t let its un-beetle like appearance put you off, because I’ve saved the best until last. Irish folklore says that this beetle can kill on sight. It has ‘dealings’ with the Devil, then goes on to eat sinners. Pretty good stuff, I think you’ll agree. When this beetle is threatened (and you can test this out by waggling a finger near it, if you dare), it curves over its abdomen in a scorpion-like manner, secreting smelly chemicals while ferociously gnashing its jaws together. It’s in this posture that folklore says it casts it curses. Luckily we’re not spiders, caterpillars or earwigs, so have nothing to fear from this fascinating creature. Other than our own imaginations that is…
So, next time you’re striding along at a hypnotic pace, legs and mind flowing to the rhythm of the walk, check yourself before you accidentally crush that beetle beneath your boot, for theirs is a ferociously mysterious world and it wouldn’t do to mess with the Devil.
IRISH FOLKLORE SAYS THE DEVIL’S COACH HORSE CAN KILL ON SIGHT. LUCKILY WE’RE NOT SPIDERS, CATERPILLARS OR EARWIGS