A Sloe Day
Blackthorn or Sloe (Prunus spinosa) is an important nectar source for many spring insects at the moments and today I spent a couple of hours investigating a particularly fine example at the northern end of Castle Water. The bulk of insect visitors today seemed to be the hoverfly Eristalinus aeneus (see Sam’s entry below), along with it’s close relatives the drone flies Eristalis pertinax and E. intricarius (a drone fly in name but actually a bumblebee mimic), and masses of solitary bees.
The Blackthorn bush at the northern end of Castle Water
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