Life on the Ivy

Not perfect in focus etc but I was very pleased to capture this Ant collecting excreted sugar droplets from Blackfly feeding on Ivy Flowers. It is definitely one of the best years that I remember for Ivy flowers with Ivy bees, Wasps, Bumble bees, Flies, Late Butterflies like this Painted Lady and Holly Blues and Shieldbugs  are enjoying.

Walk at Trumpington Meadows

A very enjoyable walk at Trumpington Meadows with sharp-eyed friends so we managed to find several Small Blues, some mating and laying for a second brood, Gatekeepers along with some Meadow Browns (mated pair) and Brown Argus and Burnet Moths everywhere, again often coupled. We also had brief views of two migrant visitors - Clouded Yellow and Painted Lady. The last two are images are of two of the many spiders - Misumena  vatia and Enoplognatha ovata. The bee took my eye as being different but the conclusion seems to be that it is too worn and faded to be identified!! Update - as Ann T had a good face shot, it is now identified as Bombus ruderatus

Spring Markers 2024

I have been recording the flowers out on approximately the same day in March for at least 15 years.With the warm winter, it is not surprising that this year there are more species in bloom at the moment with Cowslips, Plum blossom, Japonica, Comfrey, Alkanet all a couple of weeks ahead of last year. Certainly I have a very large number of wild or naturalised plants already in bloom and attracting insects such this Early Bumblebee, Bombus pratorum on the Mahonia.

Bees, Wasps and Ants, Crete

Bees, wasps and ants do particularly well in hot dry climates so was not surprised to find a good variety of species, including this tiny Jewel, A Ruby-tailed Wasp. The Paper Wasp was a particularly pleasing find on a grass stem at the top of a sandy beach.