Thursday 23 July 2009

Dig my bees (or rather, don't)


My main preoccupation this morning is with bees. The moths have settled temporarily into a rather dull routine. I am sorry to be unscientific, but my recording enthusiasm fails in the face of yet more assorted Yellow Underwings and small brown species which I can't tell apart. Sorry. All I can manage to keep the moth flag flying is a nice Dark Arches, below, along with one finger and thumb (which, thankfully for the focus, didn't keep moving).


The bees excavated a nest just below one of the pipes through which I covertly draw water from our sloping road's gutter to feed our pond (the thing in the top pic which you may have mistaken for a carrot). We'd watched them fly in and out and rejoiced, amid the almost daily articles about the supposed threat to bees. But then a large animal came along and did some excavation, and this above, is the result. Luckily, I think my pipe has protected the heart of the nest, but it's annoying how Nature can connive at damaging herself. I am trying to find out what sort of bee they are - bumbling in appearance but about half the size of the standard bumble (of which we have plenty).

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