As you leave the car park and make your way to the Reserve there is a bank of flowering brambles opposite the Conoco Depot on the raised section of road. At the moment this is attacting a good variety and number of Bumble Bees. Yesterday I recorded bombus pratorum (early nesting), humilis (brown banded carder), pascuorum (common carder), lapidarius (red-tailed), lucorum (white-tailed), terrestris (buff-tailed) and a probable muscorum (moss carder). Also present were several cuckoo bumble bees including barbutellus (Barbut’s), campestris (field) and sylvestris (forest). Although few and far between this year there was a single specimen of sylvarum (shrill carder) also present.
In previous days I also recorded vestalis (vestal cuckoo bee), hortorum (garden) and hypnorum (tree ) which is a recent colonist to the UK from the Continent.
thanks Paul!