Tiny Bees and a something spot Burnet Moth

A couple of days ago I took a morning off to go back to Paxton. It was lovely to see more bees… so many of the Tree Bee Bombus hypnorum… and some tiny tiny bees nesting in the most inconvenient place, right in the middle of the footpath. They are halictids of some kind I think and amongst them there also seemed to be some hylaeus bees, recognisable by the white marks on their faces.

They peep out of their holes waiting to see if the coast is clear..

… and come into land.. sometimes hovering. They have to check out if they have the right hole. This little bee has yellow legs ….

Other tiny bees laden with pollen would generally find their nest holes without any hesitation.
 

I saw tiny bees on the nearby bramble blossoms….

I cannot say what they are. If I have learnt one thing in my time of looking at bees, it is how very difficult it is for even experts to tell you what these tiny ones are, especially from not very clear photos!!  But for me it is enough to know they are there..and that some bemused visitors to Paxton Pits now know they are there.

And then I saw this strangely beautiful burnet moth just emerged from its chrysalis… 5 or 6 spot I don’t know which…

It is the embodiment of the quote I have on my sidebar

"There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion" Francis Bacon

Tonight I am packing for Heligan….