Rose chafer

About

The Rose chafer is a beetle that is hard to miss: on a sunny day, it sits right in a flower, shining with a metallic green color. In Ukraine, the nominal subspecies is known throughout the territory, while the species is widespread almost all over Eurasia, except for high mountains and deserts. In the Carpathians, Rose chafers are most often seen in valleys and foothills — in flowering forest edges, meadows, and gardens.

The beetle is 14–22.5 mm long, elongated-oval and wide. It is most often green with a metallic sheen, although it can be coppery, gray, or even black; the upper body is mostly covered with hairs. A characteristic feature is a noticeable triangular scutellum between the bases of the elytra, elongated backward like the letter V. The Rose chafer flies excellently and does so unusually: it does not open its elytra like most beetles but releases its wings from the sides under the lowered elytra.

Adult beetles feed on pollen, nectar, and petals, particularly loving roses and wild roses, as well as flowers of wild plants and fruit trees. They are most often seen from May to June–July, occasionally until September. The beetles fly quickly and skillfully from flower to flower. Despite eating flowers, Rose chafers do not cause serious damage to gardens.

Larvae — thick, bent in the shape of the letter C, with small heads and short legs — develop in decaying wood, leaf litter, compost, or manure and winter there. The Rose chafer is not listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.

Where in the Carpathians

The map shows where naturalists recorded the species (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records), not every place it lives. The Ukrainian Carpathians are less studied, so a blank area does not mean the species is absent.

Countries

Hungary · Slovakia · Romania · Ukraine · Czechia · Austria · Poland

Mountain ranges

Bükk, Mátra, Zemplén Mountains, Börzsöny and Cserhát, High Tatras, Piatra Craiului, Little Carpathians, Low Tatras, Maramureș Mountains, Gorgany

Altitude belts

Foothills (below 600 m) · Beech forests (600–1200 m)

When to see it

From naturalists’ observations in the Carpathians (iNaturalist, research grade): the darker the cell, the more often the species is seen that month.

Protection and rules

Not listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.

Red Data Book of Ukraine

FAQ