Nature Notes.

I will put up from time to time a few observations about the natural world i encounter.

I will start with The Tree Bee... Bombus hyponorum.

The bumblebee was first observed in United Kingdom on 17 July 2001 close to the village of Landford in Wiltshire and has since been spreading widely.

This bumblebee often lives near human settlements. It prefers to build its nest above ground and often inhabits bird boxes. B. hypnorum likes to live in forests, but in places where there are not as many trees, they favor human dwellings. They like to live in holes and walls in the trees unlike other members of the Bombus species

This was the first time i had encountered them, over 20 on this shrub (ID Reqd. ) they are excellent pollinaters.

Their flight time ends in June so im not seeing any as of now.



They have a distinctive colour patten, ginger/black and white.

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I love to see bumble bees and there seems to be so many different ones.... many in my garden!
Thanks for this thread Nom, I am learning lots from your posts.

Re: Nature Notes.

What a splendid thread!
I love bees too, lots about at the moment.

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Looking forward to this thread Nom, it’s going to be interesting

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River Gade,,,,,,,,,,

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Feed the kids tine....

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Any idea ,of the plant Tess your very good on ID

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It looks Hebe-ish but the leaves are wrong. Could be a laurel, Mups may know.

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Nature Notes 2.

The more i explore the world of Nature,the more i learn, and , a while back i found out about an insect i wanted to see.

I was at my coastal patch looking for returning waders when a tiny insect caught my attention while it rested briefly on a wall, it proved to be a Ruby -tailed wasp the Kingfisher of the insect world.

Not my photo, I hope to get one myself.



https://www.flickr.com/photos/odonataman/18426073135


The glittering, metallic Ruby-tailed Wasp is one of many species of solitary bee and wasp that can be spotted in a number of habitats from walls to sandy quarries, rocky outcrops to tree trunks. Solitary bees and wasps do not live in colonies like Honey Bees; instead, the female builds a nest by herself, stocks it with pollen, and lays an egg within each cell she has created. However, the adults of the Ruby-tailed Wasp are a little lazier: the females actually lay their eggs in the nests of other solitary bees and wasps, especially Mason Bees. When the eggs hatch, they eat the larvae of the Mason Bees and develop - this gives the Ruby-tailed Wasp its other name of 'Cuckoo Wasp'.

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That is so interesting , so thank you Nom.
Don't think i will ever be able to compete with your knowledge, but I am learning things from these posts.