wildlife

[ArnoldT]

Thanks, After watching Granchester I was sure it was 'tea'.  Everything goes better with tea.

[Roma]

Tree Bumble bee,Bombus hypnorum, captured in the greenhouse.  Took a pic before I released her.  The tree Bumble bee only arrived in UK in 2001 and reached Scotland in 2013.

[cohan]

Kangaroos lie down in such a way that one might expect someone like Marlene Dietrich or Greta Garbo, to relax and yes, the G and T is on its way. 

it does have that look...lol

[Lesley Cox]

This big bumble bee looks very like the one we have in NZ, with its furry golden shoulders and it is about 3 cms long. We also have a much smaller species which in my youth and ignorance I assumed was the youngster of the big one. But I didn't know about different species in those days.

I had a sting from a big one early in this immediately past summer. It stung badly but only for a few minutes. It was inside the house and I encouraged it onto my hand to take out but it didn't like being shaken off when I went to remove it.

[Lesley Cox]

Yes, G and T is gin and tonic. I like one after a shower and before getting dinner ready after a hot day in the garden. About 1 gin to 3 or 4 tonic and I like it with lemon juice squeezed into it rather than just a slice in the glass because I like it really sour. Over ice is good too.

[johnw]

Lesley  - I have a new favourite gin found last Spring locally.  It's called Plymouth and made in Devon, UK.  As I visited Stella Tracey's wonderful garden near there so I decided to give it a try.  Excellent, and G&T got us through the summer & autumn of 2020; not solely the original bottle!

johnw

[Lesley Cox]

Hello John, I haven't been n touch for a long time mainly due to both phone and camera problems which I'm gradually getting sorted thankfully.

There appear to be a lot of makers of different kinds of gin about nowadays. Certainly there's one in NZ and some of them have what seem to me to have very odd flavours, fruits etc and various other things such as manuka honey. I haven't tried any but may do in time.

I've also read in one of Val McDermid's thrillers that one of her sleuths regularly samples various new kinds with a friend when they're both in the mood. Perhaps I'm not sufficiently adventurous in my liquid tastes. Prefer my Scotch neat and rum likewise (though not frequently. It's a very good cure for a queasy stomach or even 'flu.)

[Hoy]

Tree Bumble bee,Bombus hypnorum, captured in the greenhouse.  Took a pic before I released her.  The tree Bumble bee only arrived in UK in 2001 and reached Scotland in 2013.

Strange. New to UK and Scotland? It is one the commonest bumblebee species here among our 34 species.

[Tristan_He]

Strange. New to UK and Scotland? It is one the commonest bumblebee species here among our 34 species.

Hi Trond, yes that's right. First recorded in the UK in 2001, and in Scotland in 2013. It reached Ireland in 2017. It's now one of our commoner species too.

Heaven knows why it wasn't here already, as the conditions seem highly suitable. We had one in our conservatory the other day. Nice to have some good bee related news.

[mark smyth]

The tree bumble bee reached Belfast in 2019 where queens were seen twice close to the city centre. 2020 queens and workers were seen in west Belfast and last week I got a queen in my garden

[Hoy]

Hi Trond, yes that's right. First recorded in the UK in 2001, and in Scotland in 2013. It reached Ireland in 2017. It's now one of our commoner species too.

Heaven knows why it wasn't here already, as the conditions seem highly suitable. We had one in our conservatory the other day. Nice to have some good bee related news.

The tree bumble bee reached Belfast in 2019 where queens were seen twice close to the city centre. 2020 queens and workers were seen in west Belfast and last week I got a queen in my garden

Interesting. I have had quite a few bumblebee queens in my garden the last week and I suspect some where tree bumblebee.

[Gabriela]

I didn't knew about the tree bumblebees, must check if we have any here.
You may never know what's lurking in the woods. They are very cute and intelligent but equally destructive; most surely looking for birds eggs already. This was in a remnant piece of woods preserved in the city with many houses nearby.

[Gail]

Fascinating article about the tree bumblebees here;
https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/tree-bumblebee-bombus-hypnorum/

[Tristan_He]

Fascinating article about the tree bumblebees here;
https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/tree-bumblebee-bombus-hypnorum/

Great article Gail, thanks for sharing.

[cohan]

Cute racoon, Gabriela! My last place in Toronto downtown had a piece of fibreglass sheeting (like greenhouse stuff) over a rear basement entry outside the bedroom window, which looked out on parking area/back alley. Racoons liked to go through there and leave presents  I had to put out 'Critter Ridder' (capsaicin based) which kept them off the fibreglass..lol
Saw my first bumblebee last week, no pics, though I've snapped a couple of the small solitary bees- the first (male Andrena, I'm told) while there was nothing flowering yet, the rest, the red, just as first things were happening, though  it was not on flowers. I think some of them live in the rock gardens, often see them there anyway, esp in spring.
Really missing my longer lens (stopped zooming a few months ago) as bug and bird season kicks in! So, crappy shots of anything that doesn't let me get close!