Today I found a dead cockchafer beetle on the grass. I recognised it because in its adult form it does look remarkably like its larval form in both colouring and size. Apparently they spend several years underground in their larval stage but only about 6 weeks as adults. They are also known as May bugs because they appear in early summer – although with global warming maybe they will be renamed April bugs.
The German word for beetle is Käfer. Both words originate from the Proto-Germanic ‘kabraz’ meaning gnawer – they chew through grass and plant roots amongst other things.
The Green Tau 