Pollen mining
With the unusually warm April and May we’ve experienced, it seems as though my spring solitary bees have lived fast and died young: there are plenty of bumblebees in the garden right now, but for the past week or so … Continued
Wild swimming
There was a bit of an incident chez nous this afternoon. When we first installed our little wildlife pond we used to net it in the autumn, so that the huge number of leaves that come down from all our … Continued
Dark Chocolate
Compared with last year, this invertebrate season has got off to a rather slow start. This is especially true of hoverflies, of which I’ve only recorded four species so far, compared with the eight I’d seen by the same point … Continued
Against the lore
Owling lore has it that Short-eared Owls don’t hunt in bad weather. I’ve said it myself, with great confidence, on many occasions. It used to be widely believed, including by me, that this was because their feathers aren’t waterproof, but … Continued
Spurgaceous
I used to have a tall Euphorbia characias Wulfenii in the middle of the rose bed in the back garden which was mildly popular with Andrena fulva females, and for several years I would haunt this plant through April and May, … Continued