While checking on the ponds these last few warm days, I’ve noticed a lot of bees. Nothing like the big furry bumble variety, these are in disguise as small wasps and are in fact mining bees, or ground bees, so-called because they nest in the ground. They are also seen typically gathering around a handy local water source, as shown here.
If you want to know if you have mining bees, look for the telltale volcano-shaped nest holes, but don’t worry or call for the pest control. These garden friends are great pollinators, excellent ground aerators, and they don’t usually sting unless provoked. For more details and some much better pictures than mine, Andrew Nixon of Herefordshire Wildlife Trust is a mine of information, pun intended.
In the gentle rain this morning, the bees are absent, presumably keeping dry underground. So, as well as keeping an eye out for their nest holes, I stopped to capture a spire of Ajuga repens flowers opening and the fresh buds of Garrya elliptica, best known for its silk tassels later in the year.
FROG BLOG 