The Noble chafer is a rare, metallic-green beetle that can be found in traditional orchards. The larvae live in old, decaying fruit trees, where they take up to three years to develop into adult beetles. Adults are on the wing for about six weeks from June to August, and feed on elders and umbellifers, such as Hogweed and Meadowsweet.
How to identify
Adult Noble chafers are metallic bronze-green, with white speckles. It can be confused with the Rose chafer (Cetonia aura), but has wrinkled wing cases; the Rose chafer has smooth wing cases.
Did you know?
The droppings of the Noble chafer, known as 'frass', resemble ground coffee. They can be extracted from tree holes with a long-handled spoon to confirm the presence of this rare species.
How people can help
The Wildlife Trusts are working with other organisations on projects to help conserve our orchards and the wildlife they support; for example, many local Trusts look after traditional orchards, or are cultivating orchards, on working farm nature reserves. You can help Mistletoe to spread by growing it in your own garden - extract the seeds and sticky juice from the berries of a cutting and wipe them on a young branch of a suitable tree, such as an apple. To find out more about gardening for wildlife visit our Wild About Gardens website.
