solitary bee – Jill Orme Photography

17 Jun 2025

Stocky

by JDO | posted in: Bees, Invertebrates, My garden, Worcestershire | 0

Of the seven species of leafcutter bee found in the UK, Willughby’s Leafcutter (Megachile willughbiella) is the most widespread, and probably the easiest to identify. Males are about 12mm long, with pale faces and the short, square abdomen that’s common … Continued

15 Jun 2025

Mr Spikes

by JDO | posted in: Bees, Invertebrates, Worcestershire | 0

By yesterday evening the Boy Wonder was quite poorly – he even left the table part way through dinner and took himself off for a short sleep on the sofa, before coming back to finish his meal – and at … Continued

8 Jun 2025

Patchwork

by JDO | posted in: Bees, Invertebrates, Worcestershire | 0

I spotted this fresh bee on the bramble growing at the edge of the Orchard Ponds in the Cleeve Prior Community Orchard, where I’d gone on a fruitless search for dragonflies, and recognised it as a male leafcutter. I couldn’t … Continued

26 May 2025

Pollen mining

by JDO | posted in: Bees, Invertebrates, My garden, Worcestershire | 0

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

7 May 2025

Dapper

by JDO | posted in: Bees, Invertebrates, My garden, Worcestershire | 0

This morning I looked at the long front border I sorted out last month and realised that it was being reclaimed by pernicious weeds, and I was going to have to do something about it. So bang went my planned … Continued

27 Apr 2025

Rummaging

by JDO | posted in: Bees, Invertebrates, My garden, Worcestershire | 0

Yesterday afternoon I spent a lot of time at Stratford Garden Centre, which seems to be turning into my new spiritual home, carefully selecting plants for the containers on the patio. This is a thoroughly unlovely space, probably dating back … Continued

21 Apr 2025

Keen

by JDO | posted in: Bees, Invertebrates, My garden, Worcestershire | 0

It rained heavily overnight, and the first half of the day was murky and cold. When the sun appeared – unexpectedly – mid way through the afternoon, I grabbed the camera and squelched off down the garden in search of … Continued

16 Apr 2025

Windswept

by JDO | posted in: Bees, Bugs, Invertebrates, My garden, Worcestershire | 0

The weather went completely insane today, blowing a gale the like of which we haven’t seen since the old privy roof took off and tried to take out a power line, back in December. In fact, en route to collecting … Continued

11 Apr 2025

Masonry

by JDO | posted in: Bees, Invertebrates, My garden, Worcestershire | 0

I present here another instalment in my occasional series: Orange(ish) Bees on Pink Crab Apple Blossom. If you saw yesterday’s post you might remember the rather spiffy Common Carder queen I caught on the same tree in almost exactly this … Continued

9 Apr 2025

Ploughing her own furrow

by JDO | posted in: Bees, Invertebrates, Worcestershire | 0

When I saw this bee I said “YES!!”, because I thought I’d found a female Orange-legged Furrow Bee (Halictus rubicundus) – a species I’ve only recorded here a couple of times previously. This was shortly followed by “Aaargh – NO!!”, … Continued

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