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

earthstar

~ a celebration of nature

earthstar

Tag Archives: bumblebee

259/365 Bumbling around

16 Monday Sep 2019

Posted by sconzani in autumn, insects, nature, wildflowers

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

bees, bees on scabious, British wildflowers, Buff-tailed bumble bee, bumblebee, Common carder, Devil's-bit scabious

I keep coming back to the Devil’s-bit scabious, I know, but it’s just so lovely and so full of life now that many of the other wildflowers have gone over. Bumblebees, in particular, seem to love feasting on it. I think these are Buff-tailed bumblebees and Common carders but don’t quote me!

190916 bumbles on scabious (1)
190916 bumbles on scabious (2)
190916 bumbles on scabious (3)
190916 bumbles on scabious (4)
190916 bumbles on scabious (5)
190916 bumbles on scabious (6)

Like this:

Like Loading...

167/365 Shelter

16 Sunday Jun 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, flowers, insects, nature, wildflowers

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, bumblebee, bumblebee in rose, bumblebee sheltering from rain, wild rose

When the rain continues to fall and the wind to blow, what’s a bumblebee to do but find itself a nice, cosy shelter with food underfoot.

190616 sheltering bumblebee

Like this:

Like Loading...

95/365 Braving the weather

05 Friday Apr 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, insects, nature, spring

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, British insects, bumblebee, flies, hoverfly, insects, ladybird

I only managed to grab an hour’s walk today, once again dodging the rain showers that have been rolling in throughout the day. I thought I might blog about the wild garlic that’s covering every inch of the wilder areas in Penarth’s Alexandra Park but decided it would be better to wait until the flowers are at their peak as that would make for better photos. Then, as I was checking out the garlic and taking a few shots, my eye was caught by the number of insects sitting on their leaves, basking in the fleeting patches of sunshine, braving the weather on this mostly grey wet day. So here they are …

190405 braving the weather (5)
190405 braving the weather (6)
190405 braving the weather (1)
190405 braving the weather (2)
190405 braving the weather (3)
190405 braving the weather (4)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Happy #FloralFriday!

26 Friday Oct 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature, wildflowers

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

#FloralFriday, bumblebee, bumblebee on flower, lilac wildflower

From me and the bee …

181026 bumble on wildflower

Like this:

Like Loading...

Bumble- or humble-bee?

24 Friday Aug 2018

Posted by sconzani in flowers, insects, nature, wildflowers

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

bumblebee, bumblebee on flowers, Hemp agrimony, humblebee, knapweed, scabious

180824 bumblebee (1)

Bumble: verb; move or act in an awkward or confused manner (Oxford Dictionary).
Personally, I think it’s a bit sad that the beautiful bumblebee is associated with confusion and awkwardness of movement, though I admit they can seem rather stupid when they fly in the open windows of my apartment and then bump repeatedly against the glass trying to get out again. Most other insects seem able to work out where the open window is.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

When it comes to finding nourishment though, they seem perfectly able to home directly in on the next delicious flower. And I’ve recently discovered that the bumblebee wasn’t always so named – it was originally the humblebee, not because it was considered modest or lowly but rather because of the humming sound it makes as it flies along.

180824 bumblebee (3)
180824 bumblebee (4)
180824 bumblebee (5)
180824 bumblebee (6)
180824 bumblebee (7)
180824 bumblebee (8)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Signs of spring: minibeasts

03 Tuesday Apr 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

bees, bumblebee, flies, hoverflies, ladybird, minibeasts, signs of spring

‘If all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed ten thousand years ago. If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos.’
~ E. O. Wilson (1929 – ), American biologist, environmentalist, author

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
180401 minibeast (4) Honey bee
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
180401 minibeast (6) fly
180401 minibeast (7) fly
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
180401 minibeast (9) Eristalis tenax
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

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...

The bumbles are back!

24 Saturday Feb 2018

Posted by sconzani in flowers, insects, nature, spring, wildflowers

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

bumblebee, crocus, spring flowers, Spring has sprung

180224 bumblebee

Following on from yesterday’s gorgeous crocuses for Floral Friday, here’s a little something I found bumbling about in those flowers …

180224 bumblebee (1)
180224 bumblebee (2)
180224 bumblebee (3)
180224 bumblebee (4)
180224 bumblebee (5)
180224 bumblebee (6)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Hebe and bumble

22 Friday Dec 2017

Posted by sconzani in flowers, nature, plants, winter

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Buff-tailed bumblebee, bumblebee, Goddess Hebe, Hebe, Hebe plants

I always have a little smile to myself when I see a Hebe because, of course, it’s a New Zealand native plant and reminds me of my homeland (though I was surprised to read today that they’re also native to South America, the Falkland Islands and one island in French Polynesia).

171222 Hebe (2)
171222 Hebe (1)

They’re tough plants. The two species shown here were photographed in 0° Celsius, in between hail showers, yet they show no signs of being affected by the Welsh winter and, in fact, are providing much-needed food for the few bees (that’s a Buff-tailed bumblebee in my photo) and other insects that are still out and about. As well as the cold, they’re also very tolerant of salty sea air so they’re a good plant for coastal gardens like those here in Penarth.

171222 Hebe (6)
171222 Hebe (7)
171222 Hebe (8)

In case you didn’t know, the plant is named after the Greek goddess Hebe, daughter of chief god Zeus and his wife Hera. Hebe was barista on Mt Olympus, serving ambrosia and nectar to all the other gods and goddesses, until she married Heracles and became a stay-at-home mum to their two kids.

171222 Hebe (4)
171222 Hebe (5)
171222 Hebe (3)

Like this:

Like Loading...

What’s on the scabious?

16 Saturday Sep 2017

Posted by sconzani in flowers, insects, nature, wildflowers

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

bumblebee, Comma, Devil's-bit scabious, hoverflies, insects on scabious, scabious, Six-spot burnet, Small tortoiseshell, Small white

Perhaps it would be easier to ask ‘What’s not on the scabious?’ because it seems that almost every type of fly, bee, butterfly and beetle loves this plant, though that may also be because the Devil’s-bit scabious flowers in late summer – early autumn, when most wildflowers have finished flowering, and so it provides a last delicious taste of summer’s sweetness.

170916 6-spot burnet
170916 beetle
170916 Bumble bee
170916 comma
170916 Common carder & hoverfly
170916 helophilus pendulus
170916 Meadow brown
170916 Melanostoma scalare
170916 Sericomyia silentis
170916 Small tortoiseshell
170916 Small white
170916 unidentified bee
170916 unidentified hoverfly (2)
170916 unidentified hoverfly (3)
170916 unidentified hoverfly (4)
170916 unidentified hoverfly (5)
170916 unidentified hoverfly
170916 Volucella zonaria

Like this:

Like Loading...
← Older posts

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

  • Song vs Mistle February 1, 2023
  • Song thrushes are a’singing January 31, 2023
  • Down the hatch January 30, 2023
  • First Primroses January 29, 2023
  • Encounters with grebes January 28, 2023

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.

Fellow Earth Stars!

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • earthstar
    • Join 578 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: