• ABOUT
  • BIRDING 2018
  • Birding 2019
  • BLOG POSTS
  • Butterflies 2018
  • Resources

earthstar

~ a celebration of nature

earthstar

Tag Archives: British bumblebees

Red-tailed bumblebee

07 Monday Mar 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects, spring

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Bombus lapidarius, British bumblebees, Red-tailed bumblebee

During Saturday’s walk I was delighted to spot my first Red-tailed (Bombus lapidarius) and Tree bumblebees (Bombus hypnorum) of the year. The only food source in a 20-square-metre area (except for a few daisies on a patch of grass) was a flowering Mahonia bush, which had attracted not only those two bumblebees but also a Buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris), as well as several species of fly, bee and hoverfly. It just showed how important flowers are for these early emerging insects.

220307 red-tailed bumble

Like this:

Like Loading...

Queen bumbles

26 Saturday Feb 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects, spring

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Bombus terrestris, British bumblebees, Buff-tailed bumblebee, queen bumblebee

Not having been out walking for 12 days until yesterday means my first Springtime sightings are probably a bit behind many people’s. Still, it was an absolute delight yesterday to hear, three times, the buzzing of a bumblebee, and to watch this queen Buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) searching amongst the low vegetation for a place – perhaps the abandoned burrow of a vole or shrew – to create a nest for her first brood of the year.

220226 buff-tailed bumblebee

Like this:

Like Loading...

Bumbling on

09 Thursday Sep 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, wildflowers

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

British bumblebees, Buff-tailed bumblebee, bumblebees, bumblees snoozing on flowers, Common carder bee

On grey and gloomy autumn days, it’s always cheering to see the bumblebees still out and about, even if sometimes they’re actually snoozing on their chosen flowers.

210903 buff-tailed bumble210903 common carder (1)210903 common carder (2)

Like this:

Like Loading...

The bumble and thistle

08 Sunday Aug 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, plants, wildflowers

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

British bumblebees, British wildflowers, Buff-tailed bumblebee, bumblee and thistle, Carline thistle

210808 bumble and carline thistle (1)

Carline thistles may look dry and unappetising but, as you can see from the enthusiastic feeding of this Buff-tailed bumblebee, they are in fact nectar rich, and favourites not only of bees but also of many species of butterflies.

210808 bumble and carline thistle (2)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Blossom and bumbles

22 Monday Mar 2021

Posted by sconzani in flowers, insects, spring, trees

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

British bumblebees, Buff-tailed bumblebee, Cherry blossom, Spring blossom

At this time of year the ornamental cherry tree outside my flat is awash with blossom, of a warm white shade flushed with the merest tinge of pink.

210322 blossom and bumbles (1)

It looks glorious, especially on sunny days, and, at a time when there are few flowers in bloom, it’s a magnet for newly emerging, hungry insects of the flying kind.

210322 blossom and bumbles (2)

Yesterday, as well as a few Honey bees, I spotted half a dozen, all Buff-tailed, bumblebees doddering from one flower to the next, before lurching haphazardly to the next branch, dislodging the delicate petals as they passed.

210322 blossom and bumbles (3)

Like this:

Like Loading...

363/365 An extremely early bumble

29 Sunday Dec 2019

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature, winter

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Bombus hypnorum, British bumblebees, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Tree bumblebee, winter bumblebee sighting

I was amazed today at Cosmeston to hear a buzzing sound and then watch this bumblebee fly slowly past, to settle on the trunk of a nearby tree. It’s a Tree bumblebee, I think, Bombus hypnorum, a species that usually emerges from its winter sleep in March.

191229 tree bumblebee (1)

Yesterday I saw a Red admiral butterfly, and now today this bumblebee. It just shows how mild our winter weather has been so far.

191229 tree bumblebee (2)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Another day, another bumble

27 Tuesday Mar 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature, spring

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Bombus lapidarius, British bumblebees, bumblebee, pollinators, Red-tailed bumblebee, signs of spring, willow catkin, willow flower

Isn’t she beautiful? While out walking in a local park I spotted this queen Red-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) enjoying the pollen of a newly opened willow flower  … and I smiled all the way home.

180327 Red-tailed bumblebee

Like this:

Like Loading...

About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

View Full Profile →

Follow earthstar on WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent blog posts

  • The chocolate butterfly July 5, 2022
  • Leafmines: Liriomyza eupatorii July 4, 2022
  • Oxeyes and friends July 3, 2022
  • Picture-winged flies on Burdock July 2, 2022
  • A darling darter July 1, 2022

From the archives

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

COPYRIGHT

Unless otherwise acknowledged, the text and photographs on this blog are my own and are subject to international copyright. Nothing may be downloaded or copied without my permission.

Click on the category

'Dedicated Naturalist' Project 365DaysWildin2019 amphibian animals autumn birds coastal fauna flowers fungi geology insects ladybird leaves lichen mammal molluscs nature nature photography parks plants reptiles seaside seasons spiders spring trees walks weather wildflowers winter

Fellow Earth Stars!

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • earthstar
    • Join 567 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • earthstar
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.

    %d bloggers like this: