Stewkley Wildlife Reserve
Soldier Beetle
Soldier Beetle - Cantharis rustica
Size - 1cm long
See them - May August.
Named because of their vivid colours. Common in the Reserve and around the village.
These are related to Glow-worms and Long-horn beetles, in fact Long-horn is a good place to start when trying to identify them.
They can fly, and usually hunt in grasslands, and hedgerows, in the picture left ,it looks to be eating some eggs that it has come across on a grass stem.
Their eggs hatch in to larvae which live on the ground.
They can fly, and usually hunt in grasslands, and hedgerows, in the picture left ,it looks to be eating some eggs that it has come across on a grass stem.
Their eggs hatch in to larvae which live on the ground.