A very satisfactory afternoon recording species at a nature reserve. This was one. A gloriosly red Tawny Mining Bee ((Adrena fulva).

It is on field maple, a very under-appreciated tree.

The female Hairy-footed Flower Bees arrive on the scene a little later than the males and look very different. They are like a jet black bumblebee. The sturdy snout is very clear here. They were busy with comfrey so their pollen brushes were brilliant white.

They are moving very fast, visiting their favourite shrubby Teucrium flowers. Common Carder Bee.

I have gone round in a circle.

Today I found a 'proper' Andrena nitida. A big creature not much smaller than a Common Carder Bee.

What a glorious colour!

The second bee is much smaller. Another Andrena, which I now think is Andrena helvola. In which case the white-haired scruffy companions were indeed males of the same species.

I was surprised at the great difference in appearance between what I took to be male and female forms within a gathering of one Andrena mining bee species.

It seems that I was way off. Just as some closely related bird species stick together in mixed flocks, especially in winter, mining bees it appears congregate together.

I was trying to squeeze at least three species into one classification.

This one seems distinctively Andrena trimmerana but I have asked the local expert to help unravel the puzzle.

I was determined to take some better photos today. Mission accomplished.

This is not one of the better ones but it is interesting.

This small bee is Nomada goodeniana. It was sunning itself on an ivy leaf. But not just any ivy leaf. All around were the Andrena solitary bees I mentioned yesterday. Nomada bees are cuckoos. They lay their eggs in Andrena nests...

One of the issues with nature recording has been that for some categories, confirmation is very slow or there is just no response at all. That acts as a considerable discouragement.

From my own experience, I can see that the situation is getting much better. More coverage, quicker responses, better coordination.

For all categories, reports increased massively with the appearance of smartphones. A camera that is with you and easy uploads makes it a breeze.

Information shows geographical spread, climate shifts, food plant dependancy, conservation success, priorities for protection and a host of other things.

In the UK, the databases are incredibly advanced.

This mining bee from yesterday will be a piece of the big puzzle. It is an Andrena. I just need to refine the species and figure out its behaviour. Another visit today to watch and learn.

My persistence paid off. Lots of failures but here a success.

This is another Hairy-footed Flower Bee.

The sunny side of the cherry tree overhangs the street, so I am struggling. Lots of blurred images.

This rear view of a Hairy-footed Flower Bee is decently detailed.

There are lots of them and the fact that they are so noisy gives the tree a very June-like buzz.

There is much excitement today. The mining bees that have been in my lawn for 34* years have expanded to a flowerbed around the back.
*They could have been here for a thousand years, I've only lived here 34. #MiningBees #SolitaryBees #GoodNews.

Early!
It’s the sunshine.
Has me in a positive demeanour.
Things starting to move about the place.
Colours returning.
Birds singing.
The odd hum of wings on the breeze.
It’s life Jim, but not as we know it…much anymore.

#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

# 69

If you are lucky enough to have #solitarybees in your garden - LOOK AFTER THEM!
They build small solitary nests in cavities in the ground/timber/walls, fly for only a few weeks, don’t swarm and are superb #pollinators.
#bees

Fantastic news!!

Native bees have made it thru the drought, windstorm, and firestorm.

I know I saw a Lasioglossum and probably a Halictus

Pics to come

This seems to be a Cantabrian Carpenter bee. Very loud and competitive behaviour, launching at others before settling on the perch again. Very big for a carpenter species.

Excerpt from "How to make a bee-friendly garden" [in the #UK]

#BBCGardenersWorld Magazine
Published: Tuesday, 31 May 2022

"Grow 'woolly' plants

Wool carder bees are one of the UK's largest #SolitaryBees , and they get their name from their practise of collecting hairs from plant leaves and stems, in order to build the cells within their nests. The plants you can grow to provide the 'wool' include #LambsEars (#Stachys) and #mullein (#Verbascum) species."

https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/how-to-make-a-bee-friendly-garden/
#UKGardens #GardeningForPollinators #GardeningForBees #SolarPunkSunday #BeeFriendlyGardens

Excerpt from "Gardening for Butterflies and #Pollinators" -- #IowaStateUniversity Cooperative Extension

"Common Pollinators in #Iowa

"Common insect pollinators in Iowa include honey bees [not native, and can compete and overwhelm native bees], #bumblebees, #SolitaryBees, #beetles, #butterflies, #flies, #ants, and #wasps. These insects are not selflessly doing a favor to the flowers. The insects are enticed to do the job with a reward of food. The food is usually nectar (sugar and water) and pollen (protein).

How to Establish a Butterfly or #PollinatorGarden

"Sunny Location

"Locate your garden where it receives the greatest amount of sun exposure possible. Insects such as butterflies and
pollinators are cold-blooded and depend on the sun to warm their bodies. Also, the plants on which butterflies and pollinators depend generally grow better in full sun (six or more hours of sunshine per day).

"Nectar and Pollen Sources

"Different species of butterflies and pollinating insects are active at different times of the year. Therefore
it is important to provide pollen and nectar sources throughout the growing season and offer various flower shapes and sizes. Plant in groups—not rows— to increase the likelihood of butterflies and pollinators finding and choosing your garden for a feeding stop."

Web page:
https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/resource/gardening-butterflies-and-pollinators

Link to PDF:
https://store.extension.iastate.edu/Product/5736
#SolarPunkSunday #GardeningForPollinators #GardeningForBees #Gardening

Fact number 2 of the threefacter.
Pace yourselves folks.
Don’t be afraid to have a sit down in between.
Remember tortoise not hare.
Warning: know your limits. Too much knowledge consumed too quickly may damage your health
#theBeeAt3

Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

# 12

Some plants make their pollen hard to get.
#bumblebees and some #solitarybees release this pollen by vibrating their flight muscles.
This is BUZZ POLLINATION.
Honey bees can’t do this.

‘The earth laughs in flowers’
#bees

Patchwork leafcutter bees (Megachile centuncularis) and common carder bees (Bombus pascuorum) are now daily visitors to the greater knapweed in my raised bed garden.

Interesting that the leafcutter bees are quite aggressive. They often fly directly at a bumble, to knock them off a flower.

Several leafcutters at once indicates that these are a local fixture, not one random lost insect.

In other words this is habitat, rather than filling station.

Everyone could do this.

Very ordinary garden plants like this Achillea Golden Plate are attractive to pollinators. I am pretty sure this visitor in the walled garden today is the ground nesting bee Colletes daviesanus.

What a difference a day makes!

Inula is a flower which attracts the unusual. This smallish bee has a giant hammer head. At first that took me to the large headed resin bee but that is squatter in the abdomen. I couldn't really make out a 'blue sheen' but this I think is Osmia caerulescens. The white dust(?) on the thorax is contaminant I think. Hopefully I will get confirmation or clarification.