Rainbow leaf beetle
The rainbow leaf beetle is a small beetle that shines like a jewel. Its back is metallic green with blue and red stripes and a golden glow, just like a little rainbow. It lives in grassy and rocky places, often high up in the hills.
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Fun facts
In Britain it lives only on the slopes of Snowdon, a mountain in Wales, which is why it is called the Snowdon beetle.
It is endangered and protected by law in the United Kingdom.
The females are usually bigger than the males.
It lays its eggs on grasses in June.
You can see the grown-ups from April to September.
Most asked questions about Rainbow leaf beetle
?Why is it called the rainbow leaf beetle?
Because its shiny back has green, blue, red and gold colours, like a rainbow.
?What does the rainbow leaf beetle eat?
Mostly wild thyme, especially the flowers.
?Is the rainbow leaf beetle rare?
In Britain it is very rare and protected, but in other parts of Europe and Asia it is more common.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Chrysolina cerealis
- Named by
- Linnaeus, 1767
- Group
- Beetles
- Family
- Chrysomelidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Coleoptera > Chrysomelidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Asia
- Also known as
- Snowdon beetle
Where the facts come from
- Chrysolina cerealis (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Janet Graham. CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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