Eye of the storm
There’s a luxurious patch of ivy growing along the top of the tall old farm wall that borders our yard, which flowers later than any other ivy in the area. Given that it’s south-facing, I have absolutely no idea why … Continued
First off the blocks
Yesterday evening the heatwave broke and it started to rain. I lay in bed listening to the grass growing outside, and reflecting on the fact that having recently bought just about every mower and grass trimmer available to man, it … Continued
Fool me twice
Late this afternoon I went out into the garden to take care of a situation that had been niggling me, which was the fact that a huge clump of nettles and rosebay willowherb had almost taken over one of the … Continued
Leafcutter
My identification app says that this is Megachile willughbiella, but I don’t think it is. Far be it from me, etc., etc., but I think I can reasonably claim to know a M. willughbiella when I see one, because I … Continued
Red-tailed male
A couple of months ago I posted a male Early Bumblebee, and talked about the only two UK bees with which he might potentially be confused. Of these, I’ve never seen a Bilberry Bumblebee (Bombus monticola), and certainly wouldn’t expect … Continued
Post-coital munchies
Chronologically, this is the last of today’s sequence of three photos, but I’m featuring it because of its energy. Who am I kidding? I’m featuring it because it’s really quite hard to capture Wool Carder Bees in flight, and having … Continued
Orange-vented Mason Bee
I found it very satisfying to step out of my front door this morning, take two steps across the lawn, and find this pretty female Orange-vented Mason Bee (Osmia leaiana) nectaring on the thistle I’ve left there. I wish I … Continued
Long-tongued
One way in which entomologists categorise bees is by the length of their tongues. In terms of the number of bee species there are worldwide, not many are truly long-tongued, but the mason, leafcutter, carpenter and carder bees are among … Continued