Rose chafer  (Cetonia aurata)

This beautiful iridescent beetle can occur in a variety of colours; the wingcases or elytra are typically bright green, but they may be darker, variegated or golden. The white marks on the elytra are also highly variable between individuals (2). There is always a V-shaped groove on the back where the upper parts of the elytra meet, and the underside is a coppery colour (3). The rose chafer belongs to the same family as dung beetles, Scarabidae. Chafer is a Middle English word thought to mean ‘to gnaw' and relates to the feeding habits of these beetles (4).