Buglife seeks public's help to preserve rare blue ground beetle found on Dartmoor

On this year’s Blue Monday, January 15, often dubbed the most depressing day of the year, Buglife is offering a splash of positivity with the relaunch of its Citizen Science survey.

The aim is to aid in the conservation efforts for the rare blue ground beetle (Carabus intricatus) found in the woodlands of Devon and Cornwall, particularly known on Dartmoor.

The blue ground beetle, the UK’s largest ground beetle at up to 38mm in length, is a strikingly blue-coloured insect that holds the title as one of the country’s rarest beetles. Presently documented in only 15 sites across Cornwall, Devon, and South Wales, Buglife’s Citizen Science survey seeks to expand this knowledge.

Typically residing in damp oak and beech woodlands, these nocturnal beetles emerge from March to June, actively hunting slugs by night. They favour mossy tree trunks and thrive in areas with minimal ground vegetation and abundant decaying wood. Predominantly found in Dartmoor in Devon and woodlands around Bodmin and Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, they remain elusive and enigmatic.

Laura Larkin, Buglife Conservation Officer, has encouraged the communities of Devon and Cornwall to take part and said: “We need help to find out where these amazing beetles live.”

She invites locals to share any sightings, especially through photographs, to contribute valuable data to the ongoing research.

Identifying blue ground beetles can be tricky due to their resemblance to other beetle species. Buglife has provided an Identification Guide on its website to assist contributors. The survey is part of Buglife’s South West Blue Ground Beetle project, funded by Papillon Gin and Natural England.

This initiative is part of a broader effort to conserve various species, including the strandline beetle, narrow-headed ant, six-banded nomad bee, horrid ground-weaver, and the ladybird spider, all supported by Natural England funding.

In 2022 there was exciting news when Blue Ground Beetles were found at two new sites on Dartmoor. Buglife is now seeking help from the people of Devon and Cornwall to see whether there might be any more of these beautiful beetles lurking out there in the wild woodlands of the South West.

Laura Larkin expressed optimism, stating, “It would be absolutely fantastic if through this survey we were able to find new populations of the blue ground beetle in Devon and Cornwall. There is still so much we don’t know about these beetles, including exactly where they can be found, and any assistance the local community could give us would be an enormous help.”

Any sightings can be submitted here.