We finally have some rain today, the start of some wetter weather this week. It looks very autumnal and very different from the weather of late. Although last week was still sunny and dry the amount of butterflies have reduced. However I do still see some Small white butterflies (Pieris rapae) flitting about. Wednesday was the best day for seeing these butterflies along with bees.
In a few gardens many late flowering plants are blooming nicely; this is especially important for pollinators that are still around in Autumn. Extending the season at the beginning of the year is just as helpful too. Early flowering bulbs, shrubs, wildflowers (including dandelions) Hellebores and Pulmonaria are great for the bees that forage in early spring. The first bees of spring are various solitary bees and the queens of some bumblebees (see Wildlife Trusts).
On Wednesday I saw;
– a Buff-tailed bumblebee (Nimbus terrestris) and Tree bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum) on Helianthus ‘Lemon queen’ flowers,
Buff-tailed bumblebee
Tree bumblebee
-Common carder bees (Bombus pascuorum) visiting Aster, Verbena bonariensis and Rudbeckia,
Aster
Verbena bonariensis
Rudbeckia
– and a Small white butterfly on Aster flowers.
On Friday I noticed more Common carder bees as they visited a hardy Fushia. This was the first time I noticed bees visit a Fushia so it was lovely to see it happen. These bees have long tongues and because they are small can collect nectar easily from Fushia flowers. However the two bumblebees I saw this week are larger and have short tongues which explains why I saw them visiting the Helianthus. Interestingly though Buff-tailed bumblebees are able to ‘rob’ nectar from bell shaped flowers by cutting a hole in the side of the flower to access the nectar. White-tailed bumblebees (Bombus lucorum) can also undertake nectar robbing. Even so single flowers, together with a variety of flower shapes are important for bees and other pollinators. Plus night scented flowers are beneficial for moths.
Another sighting from Wednesday was watching a Red Kite (Milvus milvus) soaring in circles above where I worked. I love hearing Red kites repeatedly call as they fly; it is a beautiful sound.
As well as insects and birds, occasionally I get to see wild mammals as I work too. There was an instance of this last Monday. I noticed a Fox (Vulpes vulpes) exiting a hedge and run into the neighbouring garden while I ate my lunch.
Bee in the Moment 