Green-eyed Flower Bee
with glorious
Eau de nil
eyes







A nest site under a flint in the sparsely vegetated landscape.

This area having been scraped and cleared some years ago
to encourage the growth of rare Breckland Plants eg Perennial Knawel





Satellite flies in the area of Green-eyed Flower Bees

Miltogramma Sp?

Miltogramma germari.

Will the picture come of them being at the nest of a Green-eyed Flower Bee?



Certainly many more in this area than four years ago.

With that wonderful high pitched whine.









Green-eyed Flower Bee (Anthomorpha maculatum)



Nick Owen's commented

The grasshopper is Mottled Grasshopper Myrmeleotettix maculatus male (club-shaped antennae and inward pointing shape on pronotum).
This species shows a fascinating range of colour patterns.



Beewolf (Philanthus triangulum)







Squabbles at the entrance hole to the nest.

Small Shaggy Bees share their nest entrance with other females.

In this instance at least five females were seen coming out before one went in.







Leaving the nest again after depositing the pollen.















At this nest there was a small portion of the moss Juniper Haircap (Polytrichim juniperinum) that covered the hole. The bees had to negotiate it
as they made their way backwards and forward with loads of pollen. At moments there was quite a queue to get in and out.







Females collecting pollen. They curl and then flick their abdomen to propel themselves around the plant gathering pollen.

Small Shaggy Bee (Panurgus calcaratus)











Tower Mustard (Arabis glabra)











Colletes Sp

Not quite

This turned out to be a Pantaloon Bee (Dasypoda hirtirpes)♂︎

2 sub marginal cells in the wings rather than 3

Dasypoda males are very hairy , especially on the legs. The abdominal hairbands on Colletes are adpressed, ie very flattened.

Thanks to Vanna Bartlett for these comments.

The edge of flying temperature.

Safely snuggled
up in a Cat's-ear.
A finger of warmth
flying time.
With the clouds return
snuggle up
again





Common Cudweed (Filago vulgaris)





Chrysidid or Ruby-tailed Wasp ♂︎ ?

Hedychrum Sp?

Nick Owens commented

This one is Hedychridium roseum or caputaureum (the latter recently recognised in Britain).
These two are the only British species with a dull red abdomen rather than a shiny one.





Thyme-leaved Sandwort (Arenaria serpyllifolia)





Nest maintenance. Clearing the entrance hole with long backwards strokes.





I'll look but not going out today














A female laden with pollen struggling to find her nest entrance after
disturbance with long sweeping movements of her hind legs.

Prone star jumps in the sand.

Pantaloon Bee (Dasypoda hirtirpes)













Satellite fly

Tessellated Bee Burglar (Miltogramma germari)

An extraordinary fly (One of two British Species of 'Miltogramma' Shadow Flies) that deposits live larva into the nests of bees such as
Pantaloon Bee ( Dasypoda hirterpes), Silvery Leafcutter Bees (Magachile leachella) & possibly Green-eyed Flower Bee (Anthophora bimaculata)













Hairy Sand Wasp (Podalonia hirsuta)♂︎





Small Cudweed (Filago minima)





Large Shield Wasp (Crabro cribarius ♀︎)?







Weevil Sp?

Gronops lunatus with Nysius Sp Ground Bug behind

Thanks to Rob Yaxley for id.

Thanks also to Nick Owens for comments and ids

Tags: Green-eyedFlowerBee, SmallShaggyBee, TowerMustard, ColletesSp, Beewolf, LargeShieldWasp, PantaloonBee, TesellatedBeeBurglar, HairySandWasp, SmallCudweed, CommonCudweed, HedychrumSp

Bark Fly Sp? (Psocoptera Sp)?







Broad-leaved Helleborine (Epipacatis helleborine)









Sharp-tailed Bee ♀︎ (Coelioxys Sp?)

Vanna thought this was C rufescens and that was confirmed by Tim Strudwick.



Pantaloon Bee ♂︎(DasyPoda hirtirpes)







Tessellated Bee Burglar (Miltogramma germari)

An extraordinary fly (One of two British Species of 'Miltogramma' Shadow Flies) that deposits live larva into the nests of bees such as
Pantaloon Bee ( Dasypoda hirterpes), Silvery Leafcutter Bees (Magachile leachella) & possibly Green-eyed Flower Bee (Anthophora bimaculata)


The second Miltogrmma Sp is Miltogramma punctata, which parasatises at least five Colletes Sp in the British Isles

both snippets

From

Solitary Bees - Ted Benton & Nick Owens.

Pg 312





The lower image shows a freshly emerging fly whose wings have not fully inflated.

Milotgramma punctata at a Sea Aster Mining Bee (Colletes halophilus) aggregation at Gramborough Hill



Fly Sp?



Fly Sp?



♀︎



♂︎

Cistogaster globosa Female above male below.

The most incredible fly. A lustrous, dumpy tachnid first found in 1954 on the hill above my childhood home.- Portsdown Hill

It's host is the Bishop's-mitre Shieldbug











Green-eyed Flower Bee (Anthophora bimaculata)





Hoary Cinquefoil (Potentilla argentea)















Chrysid or Ruby-tailed Wasp ♂︎ ?

Hedychrum Sp?







Jumping Spider Sp?

Salticus scenicus ♀︎?





Perennial Knawel (Scleranthus perennis)



Lichen Sp



Red Longhorn Beetle (Stictoleptura rubra)



Stenurella melanura♀︎







The most exquisite little creature on the walls of the Church

Bristly Millipede (Polyxenus lagurus)











Variable Nomad Bee (Nomada zonata ♀︎)





Gooden's Nomad Bee (Nomada goodeniana) ?

Vanna Bartlett commented

Your Nomada goodeniana isn't (bit late in the year for it).
I think it is male N. fulvicornis but can't be absolutely sure from your 2 photos.





Breckland Pansy (Viola tricolor ssp curtsii)

















































Small Shaggy Bee (Panurgus calcaratus)





Ruddy Darter pair mating (Sympetrum sanguineum)



Spider Sp?

Neoscona adaianta





Sand Spurry (Spergula rubra)



Dark Mullein (Verbascum nigrum)







Mogolones geogrpahicus the root weevil of Echium vulgare.

In Australia a variety of Echium known as Patterson's Curse (Echium plantagineum) or Jane Weed covers vaste swathes of
land in Western Australia after being grown and then escaping from a garden owned by the Paterson Family in 1880. (or so the story goes)

This species of root weevil is used for biological control of Paterson's Curse

In Australia it is capable of becoming dormant to escape the summer heat.
The adult weevils remaining dormant in the soil until the autumn rains come, which is useful for late breaks of Paterson's Curse.




Wolf's Milk (Lycogala epipdendrum)

Grateful thanks to Vanna Bartlett & Tim Strudwick for help with ids.

Tags: SmallShaggyBee, BarkFlySp, Broad-leavedHelleborine, CoelioxysSp, VariableNomadBee, Ruby-tailedWaspSp, TessellatedBeeBurglar, PantaloonBee