The Noble Chafer
Apples, Biodiversity
The Noble Chafer is a rare, metallic-green beetle that can be found in traditional orchards. The larvae live in old, decaying fruit trees, where they take up to three years to develop into adult beetles. Adults fly for about six weeks from June to August, and feed on elders, Hogweed and Meadowsweet.
Adult Noble chafers are metallic bronze-green, with white speckles. This rare beetle is most often found in Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire.
Did you know? The droppings of the Noble chafer resemble ground coffee. They can be extracted from tree holes with a long-handled spoon to confirm the presence of this rare species.