Wool Carder Bee & Banded Dark Bee at Vivary Park, Taunton

Over the last few years I've often walked (or sometimes ridden (mobility scooter, not horse or heaven forbid, bike!) through Vivary Park in Taunton town centre. I often went into town whilst hubby was at his shooting club, and coming through the park I always noted an extremely large patch of Lamb's-ear - Stachys byzantia in the sensory garden area and wondered whether it attracted any Wool Carder Bees - Anthidium manicatum which I had never seen. So one Saturday at the end of June on a beautiful sunny day, I decided to check. Fortunately it was easy to just sit on my scooter and wait. It was at least half an hour before I spotted one and then one or two more, as well as another couple of species, both new for me, one of which is nationally very scarce. Following are photos of the three new bee species and also a few from the supporting cast. I had some really nice habitat photos of the flower beds but ... Yes, lost in the incident.

Wool Carder Bee - Anthidium manicatum

Banded Dark Bee - Stelis punctulatissima
This bee is a cleptoparasite of the Wool Carder Bee but unlike its host it is nationally scarce,so was a very pleasing find.

Blue Mason Bee - Osmia caerulescens

Mint Moth - Pyrausta aurata

 

The following three were seen later in the year at the same location.

Patchwork Leaf-cutter Bee - Megachile centuncularis

Hornet Plumehorn - Volucella zonaria

Batman Hoverfly - Myathropa florea

 

 

 

Braunton Burrows & Barrington Hill Meadows

In April last year I visited Braunton Burrows hoping to see the bee, Early Colletes - Colletes cunicularis which had been seen here for the first time in 2023. I didn't find any, I was probably a bit too late as they can bee seen as early as late February. I also might have been in the wrong area because Braunton Burrows is massive! I did see a new bee for me though in Sandpit Mining Bee - Andrena barbilabris. It was definitely worth the trip if only to see the beautiful show of Sand Pansy - Viola tricolor ssp. curtisii. 

Also in April I made a quick visit to see the Fly x Woodcock hybrid Orchid - Ophrys x nelsonii in Dorset as we were in the area and passing the site on the way home. It was good to see that it was still doing okay, since the first time I saw it was 7 years ago now.

In very early May I spent a lovely afternoon at Barrington Hill Meadows admiring and photographing the wildflowers especially all the lovely varieties of Green -winged Orchid - Anacamptis morio. It was a beautiful sunny day, which unfortunately wasn't the shape of things to come, as May went on to become one of the cloudiest and wettest I can remember. I know the orchids at this site have featured on this blog at least twice before but you can't have too many photos of them if you ask me!

Braunton Burrows

 Male Sandpit Mining Bee - Andrena barbilabris

Female Sandpit Mining Bee - Andrena barbilabris

Sand Pansy - Viola tricolor ssp. curtisii

Fly x Woodcock hybrid Orchid - Ophrys x nelsonii

Barrington Hill Meadows NNR

Cowslip - Primula veris

Cuckoo Flower - Cardamine pratensis

Green-winged Orchid - Anacamptis morio

Green Forest Hoverfly and Other New Forest Goodies.

At the very end of May 2023 I visited the new forest to look for the Green Forest Hoverfly - Caliprobola speciosa, a striking but very rare hoverfly which is only found there and in Windsor Great Park. It breeds in decaying stumps of hardwood trees especially beech, and these have to be in a sunny spot. I knew of a couple of sites where they had been spotted (both nice and near to car parks) and so I thought why not try my luck. This was an ideal target species for me as I could just locate a likely tree stump, set up my camping chair and wait. I was in luck and saw at least one individual at both sites I tried. My photos aren't the best as they didn't keep still for long and I couldn't get close enough to them in time, meaning the photos are quite heavily cropped. It was great to see and record this iconic New Forest species though.

On later visit to the New Forest, when I was mainly looking for fungi, I made a couple of detours to look at some local botanical specialities. Also, on one occasion, whilst sitting down eating my lunch I was visited by the always heard but seldom seen Wood Cricket - Nemobius sylvestris.

Green Forest Hoverfly - Caliprobola speciosa

 It is distinctive in flight as it always has its back legs dangling conspicuously.

Orange-belted Leaf-licker - Xylota segnis
 

Yellow Centaury - Cicendia filiformis
 

Chamomile - Chamaemelum nobile & Pennyroyal - Mentha pulegium

Pennyroyal - Mentha pulegium
 

Small Fleabane - Pulicaria vulgaris

Wood Cricket - Nemobius sylvestris