Wildlife early 2009

[Ragged Robin]

Anthony, I'm sure I should know the name of this beautiful moth resting on a bramble leaf but I turn to the Bug Buff for ID please 

[Anthony Darby]

Perhaps a burnet companion moth (Euclidia glyphica)? The caterpillar is a clover feeder.

[Ragged Robin]

Perhaps a burnet companion moth (Euclidia glyphica)? The caterpillar is a clover feeder.

Thanks for that, Anthony, clover is coming up everywhere so they will be happy caterpillars! 

[Paul T]

Howdy All,

Does anyone know whether the Australian native Blue Banded Bees will use things like the bee hotel shown on previous pages of this topic?  They usually burrow into the ground or else nest within mortar on brick walls, so I am wondering whether the mortar bit means that they take advantage of holes they find there (and therefore they may use the hollow sticks or holes in wood?).  I know that we have numerous different small wasps that would utilise the hotels, but if the Blue Bandeds would use them I would definitely make the effort to create a home for them.

Anyone know?  Thanks in anticipation.

[Hristo]

Sounds like an interesting idea Paul, maybe you would be first to try?

This slightly messy butterfly turned up in the garden yesterday, the Large Tortoiseshell ( Nymphalis polychloros ). One I always hoped to see as a child in the UK, but it of course went extinct! 

[Paul T]

Chris,

All the info I can find leads me to believe that the BBB excavates in the ground or soft mortar, so I think from their point of view the hotel would be pointless.  I was just hoping that someone here would know for sure.

[Hristo]

Maybe you can design your own 'Hotel' specifically for them? 

[Paul T]

Hmmm.... a mud hotel.  Interesting idea.  Is that something that people actually DO do?  Anyone know?

[ruweiss]

I have the bee-hotels since many years in our garden and had never problems
with agressive bees. These small animals are very useful for pollinating all the
plants in the garden, also at low temperatures. I believe,that the amount of
good seeds is much higher,since these insects are with me.
Paul, don't laugh, you can really build mud hotels-just try this link (in German)
www.bienenhotel.de/html/lehmwand.html

[Lori S.]

On the subject of solitary bees...
I saw this very handsome one today, which I think is an andrenid bee (Andrena milwaukeensis).

[Paul T]

Rudi,

Yes, it does look like people make mud bee hotels as well.  I wonder how deep they have to be? I doubt it is something I will do, but it is interesting to know that people do do it, even if not exactly HOW they do it.  A fair bit or work getting the consistency right I would imagine.  Thanks for the pics.

[cohan]

On the subject of solitary bees...
I saw this very handsome one today, which I think is an andrenid bee (Andrena milwaukeensis).

interesting...i really dont know much about the speciesl; this one does look darker... certainly we seem to have a lot of them around here, but i dont know which ..i'll post some over the season (i find its rare to photograph wildflowers and not have some critters in them!) and see if there are ideas...

[Hristo]

Nice bee Lori.
From a walk the other day;
A tortoise, known locally as 'Gorska Pille' which translated means Wood Chicken, I will let you figure out why!
Also a Fritillary but I have no idea which species, or genus for that matter!

[Anthony Darby]

It's another one of those you probably dreamt about Chris: Melitaea cinxia (the Glanville fritillary).

[Ragged Robin]

It's another one of those you probably dreamt about Chris: Melitaea cinxia (the Glanville fritillary).

Happy dreams - it's beautiful on the blue what-ever-it-is....