THE plight of the impressive yet endangered stag beetle is being highlighted by a wildlife charity - which is also asking Ryedale families to help the animal.

Stag beetles are Britain’s largest land beetle with males reaching up to 7.5cm in size. They are also one of the most spectacular looking insects, with the males’ huge mandibles (antler-like jaws) making them easy to spot. Despite their appearance, stag beetles are harmless if left alone, and from mid-to-late-May are more likely to be seen as warmer evenings draw them above ground to find a mate and reproduce.

Between June and July, wildlife charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) is asking for families, individuals or groups of friends in the UK to record sightings of stag beetles on six summer evenings, as part of an ongoing European study.

Taking part in the European Stag Beetle Monitoring Network is easy; all volunteers need to do is walk 500m, six times between June and July on warm, summer evenings, counting and recording any stag beetles they see. As well as taking part in the European Stag Beetle Monitoring Network survey, PTES wants members of the public to record any sightings directly to them via their annual Great Stag Hunt survey.

Gardeners can also help the beetle by making their green spaces a stag beetle haven. From creating a log pile, to leaving plenty of dead wood around, there are lots of things gardeners can do to help.

Laura Bower, conservation officer at PTES, said: “Loss of habitat and lack of dead or decaying wood are just two of the reasons why stag beetles need our help. Stag beetles are completely reliant on dead wood (either partially or completely buried) and are part of the process of recycling nutrients back into the soil, making them a very important part of the ecosystem.

“They mainly live in Britain’s gardens, parks, woodland edges and traditional orchards, and were once widespread throughout Europe.

“We hope that by taking part in this European survey, PTES’ annual Great Stag Hunt, and by making gardens stag beetle friendly, the public can help reverse the decline of this iconic insect.”

The European Stag Beetle Monitoring Network, set up by the Research Institute for Nature and Forest and co-funded by PTES, comprises partner institutes and universities from 13 European countries from Germany and Greece, to the UK and Ukraine.

The network aims to assess population levels across Europe, monitoring the stag beetle’s full range.

The group are keen to hear from more people in the UK, so to take part please visit stagbeetlemonitoring.org.

To record a sighting to the Great Stag Hunt, visit ptes.org/gsh, and if possible include a photo to help conservationists at PTES verify the sighting. Visit ptes.org/stagbeetles to find out more.