Still life on the Ivy Flowers

Deep into October, and there are still little pockets of flowers offering food to our pollinators. 

I speak mainly of  course of ivy flowers, aside from a few lavender and verbena that are still hanging on, these are the most numerous source of pollen around at the moment. 

All the bushes seem to come into flower at different times; while some have now gone over and all but transformed into berries, others have now come into bloom. 

With the colder weather, honeybees and bumblebees are no longer active, but there are still flies and wasps about, and of course ivy mining bees too, who will keep going into November providing it doesn't get too cold.

It seems strange to me that until a few weeks ago I'd never seen one in my life, and now I'm coming across lots of them when I'm out and about.

They are certainly a beautiful species, up there with female tawny mining bees in my view, with the orange-yellow stripes on the abdomen being a colour that seems so vivid without there seemingly being any reason for it being out of the ordinary. 

Goes to show, always keep an eye on the ivy!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 23.10.21

More Life in the Ivy

 The ivy bush where I found my first ivy bee the other week has seemingly gone past its best, like all the autumnal world seems to, but in Sconce and Devon Park there were bushes that were in their full coronavirus flower, and these were alive with insects.

I see pictures of ivy plants swarming with red admiral butterflies, but I've never yet seen a butterfly on an ivy flower. Once again, these bushes were home to hoverflies, honeybees, wasps, and this time a bumblebee.

And there was another ivy bee too, with its beautiful yellow-orange striped abdomen. It's funny when you notice a species for the first time, you suddenly can't stop noticing them.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 21.09.21

A New Bee for Mee!

 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