Bee Bonanza

A garden full of Lavender in Grenville Road was absolutely buzzing with bumblebees this morning - I estimate about a hundred of them. They were almost all Buff-tailed Bumblebees with a few Common Carder Bees and Tree Bumblebees. Truly spectacular.

 

Bee paradise

Large White butterflies seem to be everywhere - there were up to 15 on the station and a couple more at Fairlawn Road this morning. Also at the station there was at least 1 Cinnabar Moth larva, a Large Red-tailed Bumblebee and a Green Shieldbug. At Fairlawn Road I saw a small Sawfly which is probably impossible to identify. There was a Small White and up to 3 Peacock butterflies, the latter on Buddleia. At the wooded end of the road was a Syrphus hoverfly and a Marmalade hoverfly plus a Garden Spider.

Peacock

Small White

Sawfly

Some interesting plants in the grounds of the old Fairfield School included what I take to be Scentless (rather than Scented) Mayweed. Another Cinnabar Moth caterpillar was on some Ragwort at this location.

Scentless Mayweed

Cinnabar Moth caterpillar

Amazing that in the recent hot and dry weather conditions the Rusty-backed Ferns along St Andrews Road were shrivelled and looked completely dead, whereas now, after rain, they are growing luxuriantly.

Rusty-back Fern

There was a moth in the flat last night but so worn I'm never going to be able to ID it.