My eyes have been fixed on the ground during recent walks, watching for beetles. For some reason, lots of these little creatures seems to be floundering on their backs just now.
They’re not hard to spot – their bright blue undersides stand out against the orangey-yellow of the pine needles that blanket the paths. When you look closer, you can see their wee legs flailing around in the air. They remind me a bit of drunk people who fall over and can’t get up.
Poor beetles – when they end up on their backs they can’t right themselves and then die. I think I tried to help at least half a dozen yesterday but there were several more that had stopped moving.
Found this article from 2011 that suggests that they might be in a weakened state even before it falls over. Perhaps my help was futile and it’s just their time to go.
