Wednesday 24 March 2010

Bug watching day

Around midday, a giddy Peacock - my first butterfly for 2010 - fluttered around the garden until it decided after a good while to settle and enjoy a sun spell on one of my first ground windowsills - which as you can see badly needs painting!. Peacock was also the last butterfly I saw in 2009 (29/10). Almost five months without butterflies is far too long!
 Then, I watched more Anthophora plumipes in the garden. I had seen one of the males patrolling the Tet-a-tet daffodils, but this morning a male actually fed from several of them.
I managed this shot of the male, tongue extended in preparation for landing on a Daffodil.
The male (or males) were feeding today on Muscari, Pulmoraria and the Daffodils. Often they dart to a clump of flowers, hover briefly to inspect them and dash away before I have the chance to press the shutter. Later in my street another A. plumipes was visiting pansies and cultivated primroses (both of them first time I see them visit). So that adds three more flowers to the plants for your 'Flower Bee Garden'.
Seven spot ladybirds and a harlequin were active in the garden, and a queen Bombus terrestris queen visited the garden looking for nesting sites with their characteristic low wandering flight. Two other unidentified bumbles flew overhead.

1 comment:

Threadspider said...

We have had warm sun and very heavy rain showers today so insect activity has been sporadic. I am only confidently identifying Bombus terrestris on the bee front and bee activity in the garden is back to minimal.
My first butterfly was a Tortoisehell, a couple of weeks ago, and several Brimstones, but nothing today. Great to see your photo of the Peacock.