Pure gold
The Goldsmith, Carabus auratus © G.Bohne
I often meet up with Paul Darby ex Wiltshire Wildlife Trust for a pint and a bag of twiglets and inevitably our conversation turns to wildlife. Recently he brought along a couple of his old insect books. In one, entitled Beetles of Britain and Europe – a rather slim Longman Nature Guide dating from 1986, I was intrigued by both the changes in taxonomy and by some of the common names. Many like the common name for the metallic green-gold ground beetle The Goldsmith Carabus auratus, and ‘Devil’s Coach-horse’ for the large black rove beetle Ocypus olens I’m familiar with but others like Wool Beetle, Bladder Beetle and and Bacon Beetle were new to me. Read more
entomacrographic 