GALLERY
Group: SELECTIONS BY EDITOR
♂ Timberman (Acanthocinus aedilis)
Where and when encountered: Abernethy Forest on 3 May 2024
About: Timberman beetles are remarkable for their long antennae: in males, three or four times the body length; and in females, close to twice the body length. Their larvae develop underneath the bark of dead or dying conifers, especially pines. Their stronghold in Great Britain is the Scottish Highlands – many of the scattered records from outside this region are likely to be a result of the commercial movement of timber.
Editor's note: The beetle in the photograph is a male.
Date range for adult records: 3 May to 24 May
Cow-wheat shieldbug (Adomerus biguttatus)
Where and when encountered: Abernethy Forest on 12 April 2024
About: Cow-wheat shieldbugs are a rare species in Great Britain, with very few sightings having been made in Scotland in recent decades. The present scarcity in Great Britain is thought to be linked to the decline of traditional canopy-opening woodland management.
Editor's note: It is funny that I spotted this rare species on the day I did, as the observation came during a brisk hour-long walk through the woods to make the start time for an activity in which I was engaged – a walk during which I was endeavouring to avoid any distractions. I stopped just once during the hour, to take a gulp of water, and it was then that I saw the beautiful insect photographed.
Northern brown argus (Aricia artaxerxes)
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 15 June 2024
About: Northern brown argus butterflies can be encountered in parts of Scotland and northern England. In Scotland, most individuals are of the race artaxerxes, with a characteristic white spot in the middle of the upper surface of each forewing (as in the photograph). The main, if not the sole, larval food-plant is common rock-rose; and the species has a preference for well-drained unimproved grasslands with no more than light grazing.
♂ Northern damselfly (Coenagrion hastulatum)
Where and when encountered: Nethy Bridge on 29 June 2022
About: Northern damselflies have an extremely restricted distribution in Great Britain, being known only from a small number of lochans in the centre and east of north Scotland.
Date range for adult records: 1 June to 7 July
Red net-winged beetle (Dictyoptera aurora)
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 21 May 2024
About: Red net-winged beetles are insects of conifer forest (including that with Scots pines) – larvae develop in decaying trunks and stumps – and in Great Britain they are almost exclusively confined to northern Scotland.
Date range for adult records: 16 May to 21 June
Eremocoris plebejus
Where and when encountered: Glenmore Forest Park on 8 May 2024
About: The groundbug Eremocoris plebejus is a rarely encountered insect, not least on account of the insect's habit of spending time in moss or within the litter of pine needles. The pine forests of the eastern parts of the Scottish Highlands support the strongest population of this bug in Great Britain.
Narrow-bordered bee hawkmoth (Hemaris tityus)
Where and when encountered: Rothiemurchus Estate on 19 May 2025
About: The narrow-bordered bee hawkmoth, in Great Britain, is a species principally of the Scottish Highlands. Adults fly in the day and favour flower-rich habitat. Their larvae feed on devil's-bit scabious and field scabious.
Date range for adult records: 13 May to 19 May
Aspen wingwaver (Homalocephala biumbrata)
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 21 May 2025
About: In Great Britain, aspen wingwavers are rarely encountered insects who are almost, if not entirely, restricted to the Scottish Highlands. The vernacular name references their habit of waving their wings while walking over fallen aspen trunks and branches. Females have been recorded laying eggs into cracks in bark.
Three-banded longhorn beetle (Judolia sexmaculata)
Where and when encountered: Abernethy Forest on 29 June 2022
About: The larvae of this species develop under bark and in decaying wood, principally that of pine and spruce. Ancient Caledonian pine forest is crucial for the survival of this species in Great Britain, with woods in the Speyside area being the beetle's stronghold.
Heather shieldbug (Rhacognathus punctatus)
Where and when encountered: Boat of Garten on 26 August 2024
About: Heather shieldbugs are predatory insects with a strong link to heather and heather-dominated habitats. They may be encountered in various corners of Great Britain but are scarce where present.
Date range for adult records: 9 May to 26 August
Bee beetle (Trichius fasciatus)
Where and when encountered: Sluggan (Carrbridge) on 27 June 2024
About: In Great Britain, the bee beetle has two major strongholds: one in Wales and the other in the Scottish Highlands. Their larvae develop in the rotting wood of deciduous trees, but the adults can be easily seen visiting flower-heads in late spring and early summer.
Zygimus nigriceps
Where and when encountered: Anagach Woods on 26 June 2024
About: The plant bug Zygimus nigriceps is a rare species with a dependence on juniper scrub habitat in the north of Great Britain.
Selected galleries
[ARCTIC ALPINE PLANTS] [BUTTERFLIES] [DRAGONFLIES] [FORBS] [FUNGI] [GALLS] [HYMENOPTERANS] [LONGHORN BEETLES] [MOTHS] [SELECTIONS BY EDITOR] [SHIELDBUGS] [TRUE BUGS] [TRUE FLIES] [UNCOMMON PINEWOOD HERBS] [WOODY PLANTS]