Brace position
This is the best year for Common Mourning Bees that I ever remember – the males, at least, of which I have at least four currently patrolling the top garden. I haven’t yet seen a female, but I’m quite sanguine … Continued
The joys of spring
I’m featuring yet another plumpie because the photo reminds me of the joy of spring I felt this morning, when the sun emerged brightly and the invertebrates all came out to play. Interesting Bee of the Day is probably the … Continued
Criminal tendencies
Back in the C19th it was fashionable to believe that you could tell what kind of personality someone had, or how they might behave, by looking at their facial features (physiognomy) and measuring their skull (phrenology). An Italian professor of … Continued
Melecta albifrons
After a brisk morning walk around Croome, R and I spent the afternoon working in the garden. It was warm and sunny – too hot, in fact, for some of the heavy tasks we’d set ourselves – and suddenly there … Continued
Cambrian poppy
One of the colourful pleasures of spring in our garden is the orange Cambrian poppy that grows on the top of the yard wall. Because the wall is nearly six feet tall it’s not the easiest thing to photograph, so … Continued
In mourning
Yes – hello to you too. You didn’t have to stand on top of the rosemary and wave at me, actually: I’d already spotted you. The first site I checked for invertebrates today was this large rosemary bush, which is … Continued