STAG BEETLES - now an endangered species!  but we have them here in the parish and aim to look after them.

The above stag beetles male  (left) and female  (right) were both spotted in Apperley. The male is larger than the female and has maroon coloured mandibles (jaws) and the female much smaller with jaws that are black.   Stag beetles have been here for some years and it`s up to us to preserve their existence  They like old rotting wood buried in the ground and take some years to mature.