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~ a celebration of nature

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Tag Archives: Swollen-thighed beetle

You know it’s almost summer when …

25 Thursday May 2023

Posted by sconzani in insects, seasons

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British beetles, Buttercup, Cuckooflower, signs of summer, Swollen-thighed beetle

I’m sure you all have things that say ‘it’s almost summer’ to you – when you spot your first Swallow perched on an overhead wire or you hear your first screaming Swifts; when a particular flower blooms; when the morning light wakes you up earlier than your alarm; when you spot your first dragonfly of the year; when it’s warm enough to wear short sleeves. Well, one of the things that says summer to me is the appearance of these metallic-green mini-beasties, the Swollen-thighed beetles, in this case the males with the tell-tale swollen thighs, shown here on a cuckooflower and on a buttercup.

230525 swollen-thighed beetle

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148/366 Tiny surprises

27 Wednesday May 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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Tags

British insects, Cardinal beetle, Eristalis nemorum, hoverfly, Nettle weevil, Swollen-thighed beetle, weevil

When you’re bright red, it’s hard to hide in the grass but it was still a nice surprise to spot this lovely Cardinal beetle, and it didn’t seem to mind me picking it up for a closer look.

200527 cardinal beetle

I was looking for the pupa cases of moths on a Wych elm when I spotted this weevil. It looked to me like a Nettle weevil, so it was a bit of a surprise to find it up in a tree.

200527 weevil

Speaking of weevils … As my eyesight is not very good, I sometimes don’t notice very small creatures, and this is a case in point. I had spotted the hoverfly, Eristalis nemorum, so took a few photos of that and didn’t spot the teeny weeny weevil until I looked at the photos on my laptop when I got home.

200527 eristalis nemorum

And the same is also true of the smaller bug in this wild rose. I saw the Swollen-thighed beetle, on the right, but not the other creature, until later. I love these little surprises from Mother Nature.

200527 wild rose and insects

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135/366 Swollen thighs

14 Thursday May 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature, wildflowers

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

British insects, Buttercup, Grangemoor Park, Oedemera nobilis, Swollen-thighed beetle, Thick-legged beetle

You know summer’s just around the corner when the Swollen-thighed beetles (Oedemera nobilis) start to appear. The Ox-eye daisies and buttercups were full of them at Grangemoor Park on Tuesday.

200514 swollen-thighed beetle

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One smart critter

14 Saturday Jul 2018

Posted by sconzani in flowers, insects, nature, wildflowers

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

British insects, Oedemera nobilis, Swollen-thighed beetle, wildflowers

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The Swollen-thighed beetle (Oedemera nobilis) is very easy going when it comes to what nectar or pollen it eats. Judging by the number of different flowers I’ve seen it on, my conclusion is that it will slurp and snack almost anywhere, and this would seem to be a very good tactic for its future survival because the more specific the dietary requirements of an insect, the greater the chance it will suffer from changes to its environment and food plants. Being a generalist makes the Swollen-thighed beetle one smart critter!

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Fat thighs are cool!

19 Tuesday Jun 2018

Posted by sconzani in flowers, insects, nature, wildflowers

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

#30DaysWild, 30 Days Wild, British beetles, British insects, Common spotted orchid, National Insect Week, Oedemera nobilis, Swollen-thighed beetle

Not only is this day 19 of #30DaysWild, but today is also the second day of National Insect Week. To celebrate, here is one of my favourite British insects, the Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis). I see these little guys on almost every type of flower at this time of year  – this one’s on a Common spotted-orchid – and they always make me smile. It’s the male beetles that have those fat thighs – I haven’t been able to find out why, so if you know, please do tell.

180619 Swollen-thigh beetle

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Hello, hello, hello!

17 Sunday Sep 2017

Posted by sconzani in insects, molluscs, nature

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

critters say hello, slug, Speckled wood, Swollen-thighed beetle

The critters say hello!

170917 Hello from a slug170917 Hello from a Speckled wood170917 Hello from a Swollen-thighed beetle

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First beetle of the year!

20 Monday Mar 2017

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature, nature photography

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

British beetles, Oedemera, Oedemera (Oncomera) femoralis, Oedemera femoralis, Swollen-thighed beetle, Thick-legged beetle, Thick-legged flower beetle

170320 Oedemera (Oncomera) femoralis (1)

From the kingdom of Animalia, the phylum of Arthropoda, the class Insecta, the order Coleoptera, the family Oedemeridae and the genus Oedemera, may I present my first beetle sighting of 2017 – and a new beetle for me to boot – a stunning example of the species Oedemera (Oncomera) femoralis. There are only 4 species of Oedemera in Britain (here’s another) and only 1 – this one – in the subgenera Oncomera. In layman’s words, she is one of the thick-legged (some people say swollen-thighed) flower beetles and I know it’s a female precisely because she does not have those swollen thighs.

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170320 Oedemera (Oncomera) femoralis (2)

I was lucky to find her as her species is nocturnal, feeding at night on the pollen and nectar of ivy and willow. During the day, they lurk under twigs and branches, which is how I found her, by picking up twigs and branches looking at lichen and searching for slime moulds. These insects grow to between 13 and 20mm long, and can be found in the more southerly counties of England and Wales, though they are not often recorded – there are just 278 recorded sightings in the NBN database (see map above), of which 65 are in Wales. I count myself amongst those fortunate to have seen such a beautiful little creature!

170320 Oedemera (Oncomera) femoralis (3)

If you’re an insect geek (and I do not use that word disparagingly), you can see the full details of this species on the website of the Watford Coleoptera Group.

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The rugby player of the insect world

21 Tuesday Jun 2016

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

Fat-legged flower beetle, National Insect Week, Oedemera nobilis, Swollen-thighed beetle, Thick-legged beetle

160621 swollen-thighed beetle (1)

If you thought rugby players had well-developed thighs, take a look at this guy. He must work out at the gym every day of his life. Meet Oedemera nobilis, otherwise known as the Swollen-thighed beetle or, sometimes, the Thick-legged or Fat-legged flower beetle. Once seen, never forgotten … unless you see the female, whose shapely pins are nothing like the male’s.

160621 swollen-thighed beetle (2)

They’re a wonderfully vibrant green, often with a tinge of blue or gold in their metallic sheen, and they’re particularly abundant at this time of year. Though they feed on the nectar and pollen of a wide range of flower species, I’ve often found them immersing themselves in dandelion flowers, to emerge sprinkled in yellow pollen.

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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