Aug 4
Uncharismatic Fact of the Day
Cicadas are famous for their long dormancy periods, but they're not the only ones to take their time growing! Common cockchafers, or maybeetles, operate on a similar cycle; larvae take 3-5 years to become fully mature, so populations in different regions will emerge in different years. The species also has a longer boom and bust cycle, so once every 30 years or so their numbers explode; in some places there can be almost 1,000,000 adults per square kilometer!
(Image: A male common cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha) by Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust)
