Ivy is almost the last plant to star blooming in the autumn and its late nectar resource is invaluable to hungry late butterflies, flies and Honey Bees. It is also the key plant for a new colonizer - the Ivy Bee....
This cute little orange furry bee with a stripy rear end was discovered on the reserve for the first time last year and there seems to be even more protectively zooming around the huge clumps in the Cordite.
They have a very short life cycle and have only a few short weeks to emerge, feed, breed and then die leaving only the Queens to continue the line.
Ivy Bee - Mark Vale
and these two by Michael Rumsby
Honey Bee for comparison (HTV)
3-10-14
Howard Vaughan, Information Officer