I first found the Early Nesting Bumblebee - Bombus pratorum - on my patch about 3 years ago. Its usual habitat is in more rural surroundings, but due to agricultural 'development' it is now becoming more urban, although that's hardly how I would describe my area. This little worker is on Raspberry which suits the short tongue very nicely. It's about the size of a pea.
Meadowsweet is showing nicely now and the fungal rust Triphragmium ulmariae is already well in evidence. Notice that the fungus has affected the leaf's growth enough to turn it completely over. This alteration of the plant growth is purely to assist the fungus to spread by spore dispersal, and qualifies the fungus as a plant gall.
Brightly-coloured flies are often Hoverflies, but this little Soldier Fly can be recognised by the wing veins. No identification yet, but that spiked scutellum must be a clue:
Yes, that's my reflection in the thorax.
1 comment:
"Yes, that's my reflection in the thorax" :-)
Do you know how insects make that mirror finish? Theyr eally can look like metal!
I haven't seen any worker bumbles yet, but a couple of days of decent warm sunshine should bring them out.
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