Field Guide
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Rose Chafer
Cetonia aurata
Not yet photographed by the community
Metallic green beetle; lumbers between flowers in summer.
Species Profile
Green List (Least Concern); not currently threatened, with populations stable or increasing.
- Lifespan
- 2–3 years from egg to adult; adults live several months during summer
- Size & Weight
- 8–12 mm in length; metallic green with a coppery sheen
- Habitat
- Gardens, parks, woodlands, and hedgerows with roses, hawthorn, and other flowering plants, particularly in warm, sunny locations.
- UK Distribution
- Southern England and Wales, with populations extending north to the Midlands; resident but range has expanded northward in recent decades, likely due to climate change.
- Diet
- Adults feed on pollen and nectar from roses, hawthorn, and other flowers; larvae feed on rotting wood and compost in the soil.
- Predators
- Robins, thrushes, and other insectivorous birds; parasitic wasps target larvae.
- Mating Season
- May to August
- Breeding
- Females lay eggs singly in soil rich with decaying wood or compost; larvae develop over 1–2 years, pupating in spring before emerging as adults.
- Behaviour
- Adults are strong, clumsy fliers that are most active on warm, sunny days and are attracted to flowers by scent. They are diurnal and often seen visiting blooms in mid-morning. Larvae are cryptic, developing underground in compost heaps and rotting logs.
- •The Rose Chafer is one of the UK's most spectacular beetles, with an iridescent metallic green body and a distinctive coppery underside.
- •Its scientific name, Cetonia aurata, derives from the Latin 'aureus' meaning golden, reflecting its metallic appearance.
- •Adults emerge from the soil in late spring and are particularly common in June, making them a familiar sight in British gardens during early summer.
- •The species is a favourite of gardeners as it is harmless to plants and serves as a pollinator while feeding on flowers.
- •Rose Chafers are thermophilic (heat-loving) and have been expanding their range northward in the UK over the past few decades, a response to warmer summers.
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