Saturday 4 February 2017

The Buzzers think it is Spring!

Had a run out today on what felt like a cold spring day, only to find that the bright sun had caused all sorts of new life to appear. It was extremely pleasant, despite the low ambient temperature, and out in the cemetery a few crocuses had emerged to join the burgeoning snowdrops.

In the castle grounds, the crocuses are rather more advanced, orange flowers open to receive the sun, the castle walls in the background.

Plenty of gulls are out on the water, one or two with heads just starting to turn browner. I've not seen any whose heads have stayed dark all winter. There's usually one avian rebel.

However the big surprise was in Friary Gardens, where the winter aconite have now opened properly and formed delightful little carpets under the trees. This, and the sun, brought out some very unexpected flying objects that I'm not used to seeing outside this early in February.

There were several honey bees, and what I think were drone flies, feeding off the blooms. I've never seen any insects feeding off aconite before; they aren't normally out in time.

We've had a few mild nights, and a sudden injection of sun seems to have awoken them.

I was so pleased to see them, but I worry the expected cold snap might be a problem for them.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 04.02.17






8 comments:

  1. Wow so many aconites - amazing show

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  2. Awww, just the kind of thing I needed to see today, what beautiful blooms and the bees are a welcome sigh too - roll on spring! I don't know if I forgot to add it here last time too, but I've moved over to http://www.thehappylarkspur.wordpress.com now. - Tasha

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  3. That is a great gathering of Winter Aconite. Must check on the local lot and hope those repairing the church haven't trampled all over them.

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  4. I revived a bumble bee that I found on my back door step one morning when it was only 3 degrees, it had been sunny all day-poor thing-a warm up in a box with some honey worked! Also saw a Red Admiral in the sunshine on my neighbours wall. Like you I worry about how they did when the nights were so cold.

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  5. Nothing like that here in the North East of Scotland. Snowdrops are beginning tho.

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  6. Thank you so much for your tales of Spring where you are, getting colder this week so I doubt I shall see similar scenes for a few days

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  7. Same thing here yesterday- honey bees all over the Daphne and some hoverflies too.

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