On a hot sunny day, I was drawn to an ivy bush in flower that was absolutely buzzing with insects.
They were mainly hoverflies of many different species, wasps, a few honey beees and a type of bee I had never seen before. It had a furry orange thorax, and gleaming yellow-orange bands on the abdomen.
I had an inkling as to what it might have been, but I had to wait to get home to confirm it. It was an ivy bee, a new species for me, and one that only arrived in the UK at the beginning of the century and has evidently been making its way north over the next twenty years, but I have no idea how established they are in Nottinghamshire.
It was very happy to pose for some pictures, which really came out nicely, showing what a beautiful insect this species is.
I was thrilled to have found it.
Later in the afternoon I decided to take the old hack bike out to RSPB Langford Lowfields for a gentle walk around a fizzingly hot and still lake patrolled by many many migrant hawker dragonflies. Lots of mute swans were on the water, but other than a flock of about 30 very noisy lapwing I didn't see a lot of note.
But then, I was just there for enjoyment on a lovely day.
Si
All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 09.09.21
A great find and your images are super of the Ivy Bee!
ReplyDeleteI am sure you are very chuff to find an Ivy Bee - have you reported it to any local Naturalist group?
ReplyDeleteSi I have just come back from my late afternoon walk. A little way up the road in a front garden there is a bush in flower. I have just come home and identified it on line - it is an ornamental sage (salvia) there were at least a hundred bumble bees on it - all the same variety but it was absolutely alive with them - a joy to see. Further up the road a garden full of hollyhock - also covered with the same kind of bumble bee. I have never seen so many.
ReplyDeleteSplendid photos, especially that first one.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos - nice to find ivy bees, a species that I've never seen
ReplyDeleteThank you all so much for your kind words, it was a lovely thing to find
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