This morning, whilst I was in the greenhouse, I found a worker of the bumblebee Bombus hypnorum, the first I have seen in the village since the bee was first reported in Britain in 2001, although I found a queen at Rye Harbour last year (click here). This bee is very distinctive, with a brown thorax, and a black abdomen with a white tip to the tail. Watch out, this new arrival may be buzzing around your garden!
The highlight from a visit to Warren Glen yesterday was finding this rather worn, but still attractive, Green Hairstreak during one of the brief sunny spells in a grassy clearing near the old quarry. This distinctive little butterfly is the only British species with truly green coloration.
While collecting exuvia yesterday morning, I was lucky to see this Common Darter larva actually emerge through the water surface and start to climb up plant stems to find an emergence spot. It was interesting to note that when an emergence spot was found, several minutes were spent rotating the long hind legs behind and below itself. I am sure this behaviour was checking for available space to emerge into. The second picture illustrates the amount space needed once the second resting stage is reached.
