Longhorn

Say "longhorn" to a Texan, and they're likely to picture a cow with some really long, pointy horns — the kind that could do some serious damage if they decided to stick you with one. Say "longhorn" to a naturalist, however, and they're liable to picture something else entirely — namely a group of insects with very long antennae. We had our first longhorn show up in the garden earlier this week. Agapanthia villosoviridescens, also known as the Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn Beetle, is a bit of an eyeful, with a bright yellow thoracic stripe and short yellow hairs all over its wing coverings. And how about those stripey antennae?! The whole insect measures 10-25 mm (i.e. the biggest is just under an inch long), not counting those extraordinary antennae. This species is pretty restricted in Britain, occuring regularly only in East Anglia and a few adjacent counties. Its larvae develop in the stems of various herbaceous plants (particularly thistles, and we have a boatload of those at the far end of the garden) and the adults feed on flowers, generally in damp places. According to Collins Complete British Insects, we can expect to see them from May through July.