GALLERY

Species of the Month

May is the month i-Watch Wildlife have been asking for records of the magnificent Stag Beetle (Lucans cervus). Stag beetles are so named because the male's large jaws or mandibles look just like the antlers of a stag. They live in woodland edges, hedgerows, parks and gardens. They are our largest beetle but are nationally scarce and there are few records from the Island in recent times. One of the reasons for this is our general tendency to tidy up our green spaces as Stag beetles thrive on rotten wood and shelter under leaves. One of their Island strongholds is Cowes where pupils of the local primary school worked with the team to record these magnificent creatures.