Butterflies and Beasties

 We had a decent Monday here, that resulted in me taking a long old walk through the park - with a tea stop of course - and around to the cemetery, before rounding off my exploration in the library gardens nature reserve. 

I took a lot of photographs on this walk, but for now, I will concentrate on the shots that I got in the library gardens of an orange tip butterfly, a holly blue, and finally a sun fly in its Juventus style football jersey.

Of course, these butterflies were not being very co-operative and I couldn't get close to them, so apologies for the shots being a bit soft. 

Now that we are getting better weather, it feels incredibly important to me to be outside as much as possible again. Getting the walking done, doing training runs for my half marathon in August, playing cricket sciatica allowing, and also maybe even doing some painting with the pocket set I bought. 

All while listening to Radio 4 and trying to learn new things. Ah Radio 4, the sign of middle age! 

Well, I am, I guess. 

Si 

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 14.04.26 

A New Species of Ladybird for me

 So today I took a quick wellbeing and Tourettes walk to the library gardens to see if anything much was around on what was a rather cooler day to what we've been having recently. 

At the moment, green alklet is the dominant wildflower in bloom at the moment, and the hairy footed flower bees absolutely love it. Males and females were zooming around like tiny aerial motorbikes, buzzing away and far too fast to photograph. 

But it wasn't a bee that caught my eye. 

Hunkered down on a bloom was a new ladybird species for me, a cream spotted ladybird. A little smaller than the 7 spots that were present in large numbers, this is a shiny brown lady bird with white spots that don't look particularly creamy. 

I was very pleased to see it. 

Also new to me was what I think might be a bicoloured mining bee on dandelion. Initially I thought it was just a honey bee, but looking closely I could bee that the banding on the abdomen was different. It was heavily dusted in yellow dandelion pollen. 

Not far away, a vestal cuckoo bumblebee was enjoying the mahonias that are still in bloom. 

Such a small space, but so much to see! 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 09.04.26 

Lots of Emergences the Last Few Days!

 Thought I'd give you a mini photo dump of the last few days! 

As we enter April, more and more species are starting to appear. Today brought me a common furrow bee in the old oak wood, while earlier in the week we've had early mining bees, male common mourning bees and a red mason bee up and about. Also perhaps a white banded sweat bee. 

Add to this the increasingly unhinged hairy footed flower bees, now getting too fast to photograph as the weather warms, and the delightful dark edged fee fly, there's plenty to see at my favourite time of the year.

Hope you are finding new critters out and about too. 

Si 

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 04.04.26 

Yet More Spring Finds!

 Today's walks were on a duller day, but still a productive one. 

The first tawny mining bees were out today, seemingly country wide judging by my social feeds, and I came across one at the edge of someone's front garden, seemingly not operating at full throttle yet, but its colours were glorious. 

Then I found a female hairy footed flower bee foraging off red dead nettle growing out the pavement. This one seemed rather mad at me. 

My final find, at Rumbles Cafe on the park, was a beetle with a beautiful metallic sheen. Possibly a rainbow growclock beetle, this was another new find for me. 

Si 

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 

A New Species! The Common Mourning Bee

 Was walking through the library gardens nature reserve during today's glorious spring weather, when I noticed a very dark bee feeding off dandelion. 

While I was photographing it, I knew it was a species I was unfamiliar with, and a long walk and some research later, I was able to identify it as a female common mourning bee and indeed this is a new species to me. The female is entirely black, with only a few pale patches of hairs on the abdomen and the legs. 

We are at the north edge of its UK range here, and it is a parasite, or cuckoo bee. It parasitizes the nests of hairy footed flower bees, which explains its presence in this little nature reserve, which is full of hairy footed flower bees whizzing about. 

It was a fine start to a fine day out in the sun, seeing what local nature I can find. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 31.03.26 

Today's Critters

 A very blustery day today, very much your cliche "Four Seasons in One Day" type day you get this time of year. 

So far, it's not been a great spring for butterflies round here, but other pollinators have been about in between sharp showers. I took a walk round Sconce Park and the Library Gardens to see what I might see. 

So, what I have for you today is a vestal cuckoo bumblebee, an unidentified mining bee that I thought was a yellow legged mining bee but has iNaturalist stumped, and finally, lucky chance shots of a hairy footed flower bee on the wing. 

Warmer, less windy weather is forecast, so we will see what's around tomorrow! 

I love spring. 

Si 

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 30.03.26 

The First Butterfly Photograph of the Year

 Without making an extensive trawl through this blog, I'm not sure what is my most common first butterfly photograph of the year, but I have a feeling that the last few years it has often been a comma. 

Not this year!

In 2026, the honour of being the first butterfly to fall to my eager mobile phone camera was a peacock, a peacock feeding off blackthorn blossom is the library gardens nature reserve. A peacock that was friendly enough to allow me to get a decent photograph. 

Oh, those glorious colours!

I have a horrible feeling that this is going to be a poor spring for butterflies thanks to the terrible wet weather, and indeed on the warm days I haven't seen the number of brimstones I'd expect. 

We are in another spot of cooler weather at the moment, but when it warms up again, perhaps we shall see. 

Si 

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 24.03.26