Awakening Sleeping BEEuties

[TallTrees]

hthttps://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Off-Topic/sleeping-BEEuties/m-p/1160526/highlight/true#M116627tps://...

From last year they were Sleeping Beeuties 2018 to

This year 2019  again these little kind and sweet bees have caught me unaware and when I opened

the sleeping box there were a few anxious looking faces!  So up went the boxes sharpish

and they were put on top to feel the fresh air and off they flew ~ they'll be back always

to the same spot they first remember.

These are the boxes facing South in the hot sun.  

This is a box with                                                                                 an emerging bee under the release box top.

Wildlife have no respect for photographers!

[Anonymous]

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@Mi-Amigo wrote:

Wow. Had beautiful butterfly [like the one in the large pic posted by @Anonymous - Red Admiral ?] in my garden today. First time in a long time - lovely to see

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That's wonderful @Mi-Amigo 

[Mi-Amigo]

Thanks for the pic @TallTrees - now that is cricket which I would watch  and thanks all for comments on butterflies.

To be honest, I am no expert on butterflies and do get confused over different ones, so can anyone please enlighten me as to what Red Admirals, Painted Ladies, look like? 

btw the one which I saw in my garden disappeared shortly after I posted seeing it and hasn`t returned.

[Cleoriff]

@Mi-Amigo 

Painted Lady butterflies come to the UK every year, though apparently this year has seen the largest amount for 10 years

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-49210010

Red Admirals.... these are more common

[Mi-Amigo]

Thank you @Cleoriff - that really helps, it was a Red Admiral which I saw in my garden .

[TallTrees]

Hi @Mi-Amigo
I have great difficulty in recognizing the butterflies and the one I put on a video ...would not open it's wings, but I carefully looked at the information I have which also shows wings closed so yeah got it. I haven't seen any painted ladies (of any kind😁).
I was sitting in the garden few days ago and saw a Buzzard gently and extremely silently fly into the tree tops above me, probably looking out for lunch 😀
I tried to photo it but....nothing hangs around for me I only managed to photo empty branches😡
That cricket wasn't too bothered.
I also tried to photo the lovely colourful dragonflies that come in regularly but as soon as they see the camera they're gone.
Well done to see a butterfly!!!

[Mi-Amigo]

Hi guys

I`ve just had my local weekend newspaper delivered and thought I`d share an interesting article in it, by gardener Diarnuid Gaven with you.

He wrote some interesting information on hoverflies, which resemble wasps with its markings as nature`s way to avoid it being attacked by birds, and whats more don`t sting and help pollinate various plants and flowers.

The article also include mention of the National Botanic Gardens of Wales, near Carmarthen, where its Bee Garden is home to approx half a million honey bees, as well as tropical butterflies in its Butterfly House. Info on the garden can be found here

I imagine @TallTrees might well be making a trip there some time soon  

[TallTrees]

Hello @Mi-Amigo
Sounds brilliant thanks for posting the info
They do seem to have 499,000 more bees than I do (at the moment 🤔)
Hoverfly larvae eat greenfly so they are great for the garden.
That would be a fabulous trip for me.
In the meantime I have to breed a considerable amount of bees to catch up, so could be beezy for some time 😄🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

[Anonymous]

Nature: the peacock butterfly

Had one of these in my bedroom the other day ... tried to encourage it to fly out the open window with no result ... after falling asleep noticed the butterfly must have found it's own way out 

[TallTrees]

Hi @Anonymous
Lovely butterflies and they over winter here.
Glad it found its way out.

[Cleoriff]

Lovely butterfly @Anonymous 

Sadly I've only noticed the white cabbage butterfly in my garden this year. Having said that, I'm not out there constantly so there may have been others. The cabbage butterfly is so bright it can be seen from where I sit in the lounge.