Insects on an April lawn
I admit that I usually regard short mown lawns as rather dull garden features, but there is an exception. In Northiam lawns that are cut short, and particularly those on a south facing banks, attract a fascinating community of insects. The key species is a mining bee, Andrena flavipes. The photo below shows a freshly emerged male sitting on a piece of paper a couple of days ago, when the weather was quite different to the snow storms of today!
These bees swarm over suitable lawns in April, with a second generation later in the summer. I remember a neighbour coming up to me a few years ago and saying “You know about insects. How do I kill these bees?” What did he think a conservationist was likely to say?
A sympathetic response Read the rest of this entry »