Rose chafer
Cetonia aurata
Beetle
The rose chafer (Cetonia aurata) is a metallic green scarab beetle roughly 20 mm long, found across southern and central Europe east through the Palearctic to parts of Asia. Adults are diurnal pollen and floral-tissue feeders, visiting open flowers of roses, elder, hawthorn, and umbellifers on warm summer days from May to September, occasionally into October. Larvae are strictly detritivorous, developing over one to two years in decaying wood, leaf mould, compost, or manure. In gardens with flowering elder or open-structured perennials, adults are occasional flower visitors that incidentally transfer pollen.
Plan for this species
Location-fit plant set for Chicago, IL: host and specialist plants first, then nectar, fruit, seed, foliage, and shelter plants that still fit the current and mid-century climate read.
0 essential relationships / 3 supporting plants
Host/specialist links: 0
Forage/pollination links: 3
Shelter links: 0
Relationship roles: 1
American elderberry
Supporting / Pollen plants
Rose chafers are documented feeding on elder (Sambucus) flowers, eating pollen and floral tissue.
Dill
Supporting / Pollen plants
As with other umbellifers, a plausible pollen-feeding visit to dill's open umbels.
Fennel
Supporting / Pollen plants
An umbellifer-visiting beetle; a plausible pollen-feeding visit to this open Apiaceae umbel.
Plants in the catalog
Pollen plants · 3
Rose chafers are documented feeding on elder (Sambucus) flowers, eating pollen and floral tissue.
As with other umbellifers, a plausible pollen-feeding visit to dill's open umbels.
An umbellifer-visiting beetle; a plausible pollen-feeding visit to this open Apiaceae umbel.
Range
Southern and central Europe, including the UK (where it is widespread but locally scarce in England and Wales); extends through North Africa and across the Palearctic into parts of Asia.
Sources & citations
Cite this page
Use this citation for the Plotwright wildlife record. Use the source cards below to explore the references that informed its taxonomy, range, conservation, host plants, foraging, and habitat.
Plotwright. (n.d.). Rose chafer (Cetonia aurata). Retrieved 2026, August 20, from https://plotwright.com/wildlife/rose-chafer
Sources used for this record
This record is compiled from the sources below.
Rose chafer - Wikipedia
Identification, the Euro-Palaearctic range, the detritivorous larval stage, and adult pollen and floral-tissue feeding on elder and other open flowers.
Cetonia aurata - GBIF
GBIF Backbone Taxonomy confirms the accepted species classification, and its georeferenced occurrence records corroborate the Euro-Palearctic range.
Cetonia aurata - iNaturalist
iNaturalist confirms the species identity, and its community observation map corroborates the southern and central European distribution.