Last week ended with a wonderful announcement in the news, the Great fox-spider (Alopecosa fabrilis), presumed extinct since 1993, has been refound alive (see the BBC News report). This highlights, both the amazing work undertaken by naturalists, as well as the importance of protecting wildlife and their habitats.
As an amateur naturalist and gardener, I haven’t undertaken such groundbreaking work but I try to do my bit whenever and wherever I can. I think of J.R.R. Tolkien’s quote ‘Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.’ from The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) in these moments. We can all play a small part in saving nature’s wonderful diversity so that it has a future.
With this at the forefront of my mind I think back to one small act I hope made a difference last week. I noticed a female Common carder bee (Bombus pascuorum), identified by the white hairs on the sides of its thorax. It isn’t unusual to see these females fly this late in the season, (possibly a new queen getting ready for hibernation before starting a new nest in spring). However the one I saw was very still; I was concerned it was worn out and required help so I gathered some Verbena bonariensis and Salvia flowers to revive it. Thankfully my instinct was probably correct because it fed from the nectar contained within the posy I laid next to it.
Along with some cultivated plants, a few wild flowers were still blooming, Red clover (Trifolium pratense) and Yarrow (Achillea millefolium). Even though the latter flowers through to November, Red clover usually only blooms until October. The Common carder bee feeds from the Red clover flowers along with Honeybees (Apis mellifera) and Red-tailed bumblebees (Bombus lapidarius).
I also learnt some new fungi last week. The Golden waxcap (Hygrocybe chlorophana) which grows on grassland.
Plus the other fungi I noticed, the Shaggy scalycap (Pholiota squarrosa) at the base of a tree stump.
Bee in the Moment 