Rare hazel pot beetle makes its hideout in Sherwood Forest

The study raises hopes that with careful management, a species that is all but extinct in the rest of England, could eventually make a comeback.

The hazel pot beetle Cryptocephalus coryli has been in decline across most of England since the 1960s and was absent from Sherwood Forest for over 70 years, until a chance sighting made in 2008 by Trevor and Dilys Pendleton, raised hopes that the Forest was offering a refuge for one of England's largest and most endangered beetles.

Following the discovery, Natural England immediately launched a three year survey to confirm the presence and strength of the Sherwood Forest population. The work has been led by the Pendletons and supported by the Sherwood Forest Trust, and results suggest that a population exists in good numbers in the survey area and there may be further populations yet to be discovered on the Reserve.

Nearly extinct in England
Dr Helen Phillips, Chief Executive for Natural England, said: "The hazel pot beetle has all but disappeared from most of England. The confirmation that a sizeable colony exists in Sherwood Forest is very encouraging news and we are working to develop more of the special habitat this beetle requires to help strengthen its numbers. We want to do all we can to ensure that this extraordinary creature can expand from its refuge in Sherwood Forest."

The elusive hazel pot beetle is a heat seeking insect that lays its eggs in sheltered, south-facing areas of woodland scrub. Its secretive nature makes it hard to spot, as the larva will spend most of its life among the leaf litter, hiding out in a self-made ‘pot', constructed using nothing more than its own dung. It is, of course, this unsavoury home that inspired its name.

Sherwood Forest is particularly important as a habitat due to the ancient wood-pasture of Birklands, which today is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and forms part of the Sherwood Forest NNR.