Nick Upton / Black oil beetle (Meloe proscarabaeus) walking on a coast path, seeking a site to dig a burrow for its eggs, north Cornwall, UK, April.
01630533
Nick Upton / Black oil beetle (Meloe proscarabaeus) starting to excavate a nest burrow in a footpath on a chalk grassland hillside, the Ridgeway, Wiltshire, UK, April.
01630532
Nick Upton / Black oil beetle (Meloe proscarabaeus) female excavating a nest burrow in coastal grassland, north Cornwall, UK, April.
01628934
Chris Mattison / Violet oil beetle (Meloe violaceus) on bark. Cadora Wood, Gloucestershire, England, UK. April.
01628902
Chris Mattison / Violet oil beetle (Meloe violaceus) on white background. Cadora Woods, Gloucestershire, England, UK. April.