Musk Beetle Drop-In - August 2010

While doing volunteer work at Shapwick National Nature Reserve, I was suddenly forced to stop the reed cutting machine that I was operating when I noticed that the last bunch of reeds and other waterside vegetation that I had mown through had a large struggling insect trapped in their stems. I was overjoyed on uncovering it to see it was the large longhorn beetle, Aromia moschata. This insect lays its eggs on the branches of Sallow bushes and the larvae burrow inside the branch to grow. The adults often visit flowering plants and this was obviously what this beast had been doing before its lunch was so rudely interrupted. After photography and parading before the rest of the group and several amazed passing visitors, the beetle was released back to the relative calm of the reedbed.