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.
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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.
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Nick Upton / Black oil beetle (Meloe proscarabaeus) female excavating a nest burrow in coastal grassland, north Cornwall, UK, April.
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Kerstin Hinze / Oil beetle (Meloe proscarabaeus) laying eggs in the ground, Filzwald, Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany, May.
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Kerstin Hinze / Black oil beetle (Meloe proscarabaeus) laying eggs in hole. Filzwald, Bavarian Forest National Park, Bavaria, Germany. May.
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Andy Sands / Black oil beetle (Meloe proscarabaeus) feeding on flower of Lesser celandine (Ficaria verna), Gower, Wales, UK, February
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Andy Sands / Black oil beetle (Meloe proscarabaeus) male on grass stem in sand dunes, Gower, Wales, UK, February. Focus stacked image
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Andy Sands / Black oil beetle (Meloe proscarabaeus) female viewed from the top, Gower, Wales, UK, February
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Andy Sands / Black oil beetle (Meloe proscarabaeus) female viewed from the side, Gower, Wales, UK, February
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Andy Sands / Black oil beetle (Meloe proscarabaeus) feeding on flower of Lesser cellandine (Ficaria verna), Gower, Wales, UK, February