#cockchafers

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Well, they may come to Europe in May, but they come to N. America in June, when they're done whacking you in the face. (Do they actually slap, or just fly into it?)

[scratch-meowt]

[pogomcl]

Forest or Chestnut Chockchafer, Melolontha hippocastani Canon 400D EF 100 2.8 f/3.5 1/200 iso: 400 Celakovice-Jirina, Czech Republic 5/22/2011

[witekspicsoldpostcards]

VILLINGEN - now Villingen-Schwenningen / GERMANY

[antiqueanimals]

The Living House. Written by George Ordish. Illustrated by Alison Darke. 1985.

[dragon-teapot]

June bugs for June.

[newfavething]

one of the weirder things about my life is that most evenings i dine formally with major academics who are often three times my age. tonight was a rare night when one of my college bessies was in (she is 28 to my 23). after dinner we were all having coffee and chocolate in the garden, as per (what is my life).

imagine the scene, like something out of a regency novel: we are all in the garden with our demi-tasses (new to me too) and a silver plate of little chocolates. we are talking idly about the condition of the lawn in the neighbouring quad (i don’t even joke), which the blackbirds and the robins have torn up looking for food.

‘ah yes,’ my colleague says. he is a celebrated academic who writes bestselling history books. he is extremely prim and proper. he speaks softly and solemnly, with a little smile. ‘yes,’ he says, ‘they’re looking for the cockchafers’

COCKCHAFERS

for context, the assistant gardener calls these insects leatherjackets. never in my short life have i heard the word cockchafer, nor have i ever desired to

'they are such a nuisance, cockchafers,’ he continues, as if entirely oblivious to fact that the word coming out of his mouth is COCKCHAFERS. cock. chafers.

i make the terrible mistake of catching my friend’s eye. she is dying. i am dying. every molecule of carbon dioxide forming in my throat to emerge as breath is arranging itself into a giggle. i lose all grasp on decorum and snort into my demi-tasse. i look desperately at the sky which is the only thing that is not someone else’s face

'of course, the robins and the sparrows are looking for the insects they normally eat, but the bigger ones come for the

he is going to say it again. he is going to say a word composed of cocks and chafing, as if it were a totally normal word to use. it is coming. it will intrude into our lives a third time, three times more than we ever needed to hear it

'cockchafers’

[pogomcl]

Unofficial Wimbledon Rose-chafer, Protaetia cuprea Canon 7D EFS 60 2.8 f/3.2 1/160 iso: 400 Srbsko, Czech Republic 8/4/2021