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Violet ground beetle

Carabus violaceus

A big, fast, black beetle with a violet shine round its edges, which hunts slugs at night.

Size
Up to 3cm long
Look for it
March to October
Where
Under logs and stones in gardens, woods and hedgerows

My spotter's list

Runs after you in fast bursts, then stops dead. Move your pointer and see.

When to look

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Ground beetle

Good to know

Six things about the ground beetle

Colour

A violet edge

Tilt your head and the edges of its wing cases and thorax shine a metallic purple.

Hunter

The slug hunter

Violet ground beetles hunt slugs, snails, worms and insects at night, which makes them very welcome in a garden.

Running

Runs, never flies

Its wing cases are joined together and it cannot fly. It relies on long legs and speed.

Larvae

Hunters from the start

The larvae live in the soil and leaf litter, and they are hunters too.

Day

Hiding by day

During the day it rests under logs and stones. Lift one gently and you may find one, then put the log back.

Smell

A smelly surprise

If it's picked up, a ground beetle may squirt out a smelly liquid to make you put it down.

The real thing

Photos of the ground beetle

Violet ground beetle, photo 1
Photo: Veljo Runnel, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Violet ground beetle, photo 2
Photo: Francisco Welter-Schultes, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Violet ground beetle, photo 3
Photo: Francisco Welter-Schultes, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Out and about

How to spot one

Gently lift logs and stones in the day, or walk the paths with a torch after dark. Tilt your head to catch the violet shine on its edges.

Lend a hand

How to help

Leave logs, stones and a strip of rough grass for shelter, and avoid slug pellets, which poison the beetles that eat the slugs.

Keep going

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