fascinating insects: the rose chafer

Rose chafer Cetonia aurata

a sunny day this past june my wife and i were out walking when we found this big beautiful beetle feeding on wildflowers .

i had never seen one before so i had to research it to identify it.

the rose chafer has a wonderful metallic shine, from most angles emerald green but more bronze from other angles.

fortunately it was very occupied with the flowers so i was able to approach it close enough to get these shots

i kept trying to get a shot of it's head but it was always busy

finally i got a look at his head. here we can see that this guy is quite hairy. it must be a very effective pollinator as pollen sticks all over them

such a handsome guy like this...

...doesn't have any problem attracting a mate. better to give this pair some privacy

i am no entomologist but here is a link to find out more about this fascinating insect:
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/animals/beetles/rose-chafer/