Over the last few months I've seen all sorts of wild and wonderful creatures in Brittany.
One late evening in spring while outside the front of the cottage I heard rustling coming from some old leaves by the front wall of the house.
Thinking it was probably the lovely fat resident toad I shone a torch at the leaves and was amazed, and not a little disturbed, to see about 15 huge beetles with massive front antlers; some on back legs locking horns with each other.
As soon as the light shone on the visitors they started to climb straight up the wall of the cottage heading for the (open) eaves.
After a fairly uneasy night they had all disappeared by the next morning and some internet searches revealed them to be rare and harmless stag beetles.
