Bumblebees have been on the wing for several months, even on cooler days, but these are mostly the familiar stripy buff-tailed bumblebees. Now we are beginning to see the Common Carder Bee and the Tree Bumblebee both with rich ginger thorax.
Tree Bumble Bee
The Tree Bumblebee is a recent addition to the British list that has spread rapidly since 2001 (Bees of Great Britain and Ireland, Falk & Lewington) and is commonly seen in Dorset; a welcome addition to our pollinators. We are consciously providing nectar-rich flowers in the kitchen garden, throughout the bumblebee season, not just when we need our crops pollinated.
Male Flower Bee
Another bee out at the moment is the Hairy-footed Flower Bee. Both the black females and brown males are feeding avidly on the periwinkles beside the smaller keder (polytunnel). They really do have curiously hairy legs!
Female Flower Bee
Later in the year, on our Wild Wednesdays, we will look out for some of our rare Yellow Loosestrife bees that Hamish Murray from Dorset Wildlife Trust has discovered. If you are a Dorset Wildlife Trust member, you can learn more about the biodiversity that Hamish has recorded in the current Dorset Wildlife Trust Magazine.
The common reed, our tallest native grass, is beginning to flower as the reed warblers begin to return from Africa where they over winter. Two birds arrived early and had an oratory duel in the reeds along north bank. Only one bird is now singing at that spot so...
The Butterfly Walk might be considered primarily of interest when the multi-coloured buddleia are in flower in mid-late summer, attracting butterflies such as Peacocks and Red Admirals. However, there is more to it than that. At the end of last month, the blackthorn...
Visitors admiring the raven sculpture recently may have noticed the natural sound effects provided by a raven crowing from the top of the pylon just across the lake behind them. Both birds can be seen up there at times. Derek Ratcliffe in The Raven tells us ravens’...
