Admirable
On our way back from Cardiff and Tredegar yesterday we stopped in Monmouth and went into Waitrose to pick up one or two supplies, and the checkout cashier, asking about the camera equipment I was carrying, told us about a … Continued
Unconvincing
She’s pretending to be a bumblebee, bless her, but it’s not a very accurate impersonation. She’s Cheilosia illustrata, a hoverfly found primarily on umbellifers, and especially hogweed, whose roots are the preferred larval foodplant. August is the latter end of … Continued
Bushy butterfly
I’m not a fan of the buddleja – it’s an ugly shrub, and although it professes to be good at attracting butterflies, in our garden it’s generally only visited by honey bees. Today though, it was hosting both a Small … Continued
Willughby’s Leafcutter Bee
I don’t know who Willughby was, but he or she managed to get themselves a truly beautiful bee. Worldwide there are over fifteen hundred species within the genus Megachile, but in the UK we only have seven, and M. willughbiella … Continued
Flavour of the week
The burdock is out along the bank of the Avon at Stratford, and this afternoon it was swarming with butterflies, most of which were Commas. I didn’t know before today that Commas find burdock nectar irresistible, but it must be … Continued
Speed Feeding Champion
The third day of the Alternative Olympic Games came to a thrilling climax this afternoon, with the finals of the 1m Speed Feed (Bees, solitary) competition. As had been predicted by most pundits, this came down to a head-to-head between … Continued
