The noble chafer Gnorimus nobilis is a large metallic beetle which has been rare in Britain for the past century. The species is associated with traditional orchards and wood pasture where it's larvae feed on old, decaying wood within live trees.

In Britain, the species has been rare for the past century and is classified as ‘Vulnerable’, being a Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species. Traditional orchards are designated priority habitats but are increasingly being lost due to modern orchard management techniques or clearing of orchards for development.

Dr. Deborah Harvey of Royal Holloway, University of London has previously run a monitoring scheme for the species alongside the People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES). She is now looking for volunteers for the 2021 season who would be prepared to deploy traps and lures in appropriate habitats and check them regularly in June this year.

If you are interested, please contact Deborah at .

Image: gbohne from Berlin, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons