Monday, 4 June 2012

Eye-catching Insects (11): Sailor Beetles ... and a Soldier Beetle

Cantharis rustica
We went out in search of a little sunshine, and encountered this pair of Sailor Beetles in the grounds at Melford Hall in Suffolk. They were in a 'wildlife patch' of nettles, long grass and cow parsley. The black heart in the middle of the pronotum is a key feature of this species.


The record shot immediately above is of a Soldier Beetle I saw at Sutton Hoo on Tuesday. It may be a Common Red, but I am no expert when it comes to these insects.
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    3 comments:

    1. Andrea5 June 2012 at 02:59

      Hi Caroline, i wonder why i don't see insects in this position often, even if we have lots of insects. Even with butterflies, i don't see this often or they will part when i come for a photo.

      ReplyDelete
    2. Mary5 June 2012 at 04:07

      Interesting bugs! I wonder why the name "sailor"?

      ReplyDelete
    3. Nature Rambles5 June 2012 at 10:13

      I haven't seen this type of beetles before. Lovely shots, the first one particularly.

      ReplyDelete