Blueberries 😀 Good harvest this year.

Some stunning wildflower areas today. With many thanks to local EA @lincswildlife.bsky.social @naturalengland.bsky.social staff for coming along to a workshop today on Rare Bees of the Lincs Coast. @bumblebeetrust.bsky.social

Cattle grazing ‘ridge & furrow’ grassland in Rutland. The characteristic corrugated pattern we see now is a ghost of Medieval agricultural practices where the land was ploughed to pile topsoil into raised strips and forming sunken ditches, providing drainage and good growing conditions for crops.

Beech trees. Love this bit of woodland. It’s like a natural cathedral.

Came across this giant beast when I was gardening today. Maybe cockchafer grub? #Beetle

And more oil beetles! They seem to be having a good year.

Did my @bumblebeetrust.bsky.social #Beewalk today. Felt like I saw more bumblebees today than the whole of last year. Eight species on my walk today! Flower of the walk was Bilberry, in full flower now #wildflowerhour

Spotted an oil beetle excavating a tunnel in a molehill this week to lay her eggs. @mole-hills.bsky.social

Saw my first adder of the year this week. Tiny youngster, barely bigger than a pencil. A few common lizards about but no grass snakes yet or slow worms, we get all four of these reptiles in the garden here! #ukreptiles

Lovely to see fresh red-tail queens on our bee ID day today too. (She was released from the pot and went back to foraging).

Seeing lots of oil beetles at the moment. These are all different individuals seen on different days in the last week. @liamolds.bsky.social #oilbeetles

This was pretty cool - spotted an oil beetle in a plant pot right outside the house today. It was happily munching on a daffodil. Can only think that a solitary bee must have nested in that planter last year @liamolds.bsky.social

Took part in the ‘Llyn Annual Chough Count’ today. Saw two on our transect section and lots and lots of other fun stuff. 2 species of solitary mining bee, 3 species of bumblebee, Common Lizard, dozens of Bloody-Nosed Beetles and 2 Oil beetles.

First common lizard of year, a beauty out basking in the spring sunshine 🙂🦎