13/06/2026
Ranger Bree recently spotted and photographed this rare northern dune tiger beetle basking in the dunes.
Theyโre one of the fastest running beetles in the world. Due to how quickly they can dart off it can be tricky to get a photo, so a real treat to have this one.
๐๐๐ซ๐โ๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ:
๐ชณThe is one of the last few places they can be still found in the UK.
๐ชณTheir presence is a sign of a healthy dune system, with patches of bare, moving sand.
๐ชณThey have long legs, which help them run quickly but they can also fly.
๐ชณAfter a fast sprint they have to pause and โrefocusโ their vision.
๐ชณThey love to sunbathe on warm sand to build up energy to hunt.
๐ชณFierce little predators, hunting other insects in open sand.
๐ชณCan dig holes up to 20cm deep into the face of the dunes to hide on cooler nights.
๐ชณThey also lay larvae in these burrows, protecting them over winter before they emerge in summer.
๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ค ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ง๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ญ๐ก ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐๐ญ.
