Longhorn on the Giant Fennel
Out in the countryside in Matera in Italy, the dry heat and the scent of herbs surrounds us. I particularly love the impressive flower stalks of Giant Fennel, Ferula communis.
![Matera - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Matera-The-Hall-of-Einar-7297.jpg)
On a stalk I notice a longhorn beetle:
![Agapanthia irrorata - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Matera-The-Hall-of-Einar-6467-725x483.jpg)
I love longhorn beetles. I found my first when I was 21 years old and was very excited to find it was an introduced species, coming into the UK with Norwegian wood (and I mean wood from Norway and not the Beatles song).
This is a different species to that one, which I’ve seen here before, but not identified previously.
![Agapanthia irrorata - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Matera-The-Hall-of-Einar-6478.jpg)
It’s relatively small compared to some of the 6cm ones you can find in Italy. This one is Agapanthia irrorata:
![Agapanthia irrorata - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Matera-The-Hall-of-Einar-6485.jpg)
Isn’t it a little bit special?
![Agapanthia irrorata - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Matera-The-Hall-of-Einar-7292-725x725.jpg)
It lives in the north of Africa and the south of Europe.
![Agapanthia irrorata - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Matera-The-Hall-of-Einar-6480-725x725.jpg)
And also in my heart.