Common Carders still Active

When the sun isn't looking like it's about to turn red giant and devour the earth as a cloud of dust threatens to clog the lungs out of bodies, insect life is still around.

Thanks to the late blooming lavender on the library gardens, a few honeybees but particularly common carder bumbles are still feeding off the flowers. They move fast and don't settle much, so are hard to photograph, but I managed to snap a couple of them yesterday and it was most gratifying.

They must enjoy having their golden furry coats, because they are among the earliest bumbles you see in the spring, and definitely the latest still active in autumn. The colours of the carders has been glorious this year, some of them are so orange as to actually look like little furry oranges.

Oranges that fly.

Red admirals are still on the wing, but not seeing any hoverflies now. The dark times of the year are now upon us, where things go to sleep one by one rather than wake up.

January, and the cycle will repeat, and I can't wait.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 17.10.17