Wild Wednesday - Golden-bloomed grey longhorn beetle
Commonly seen across central and southern England from April to August, these impressive and harmless looking beetles live up to their ‘longhorn’ name with incredibly long antennae that are striped black and powder blue. Its body is covered in greyish hairs, which gradually rub off during its life.
They are 10-15mm in length with their antennae being longer than the body. The wing cases are mottled golden yellow and black. The head and the section behind the head are dark with a distinct yellow line running across the centre.
Their Latin name is Agapanthia villosoviridescens.
They can be found in wet grasslands, woodlands, road verges - where there are herbs. On warm days in late spring and summer, you may see them sitting on wildflowers, cow parsley or hogweed.
Most longhorn beetle larvae develop inside woody plants, but the golden-bloomed grey longhorn beetles grow in herbaceous plants instead. Females chew a hole through the stem of a host plant, such as hogweed, and lay an egg inside. After hatching, the larva feeds on the inside of the stem.
Read more here: Golden-bloomed grey longhorn beetle | The Wildlife Trusts