What's buzzing or flying near you 2022 ?

Looks like a Chafer.

 

Maybe I should have killed it.

 

I am so worried about the complete and utter LACK of bees and butterflies in our garden. We have Buddleija out in full, bloom., a border full of eye-catching salvias and a communal lawn in dire need of mowing ( gardener absent right now) which is full of white clover...
BUT NO BEES OR BUTTERFLIES.
Is there a serious problem that we are not being told about ?
Am I getting paranoic ?
Please, is anyone else noticing something amiss?
Or is it just me...
I would be so grateful for information, advice or anything that will enlighten me,
thank you,
Jenny namaste

 

I don't know about down south @Jenny namaste but after a dismal spring, summer is still to appear here. I think the lack of heat and good sunshine has held both plants and insects back. I haven't seen a butterfly yet and the bees are tiny this year.

 

I've just seen a hummingbird hawk moth, couldn't get a pic. It was interested in the verbena bonerences but didn't stop long, the bees don't seem interested either.

 

Everything seems late to flower here and I think that's why I have hardly any butterflies in my garden ATM although the bees are doing well, when the buddleias, eupatoriums and eryngiums are all in flower then I will see if there is really any cause for concern or not, as that's when I typically get an inundation of them. Oddly enough Spring was quite good for them this year, there were Holly Blues flying all over the place and I got more Orange Tips on my erysimum than ever before!

Nick

 

Here the bees were interested in the lupins and the wallflowers, but not much in the way of butterflies here.

 

Hi Jen x

its the weather dry wet hot cold all in one week ... it was a bad year for butterflies last year so its a knock on this year as well ... keep doing what you doing and plant things for the insects to visit

Spruce

 

Today i saw a bee on my verbascum Snowy Spires so it must be alright.

 

Southern Hawker.


White Legged Damselfly.

 

A baby robin

 

A first for the garden, a Hummingbird Hawk Moth.

Just a record shot with the phone for the time being, hopefully it will be back this weekend so camera at the ready.

 

Outside my back door there's an old metal curtain rod leaning against the wall, waiting for me to dispose of it.
It is hollow and I recently noticed a bee taking bits of leaves into it and then flying out again.

Today as I was sweeping outside the door I accidentally knocked the old rod over and all the bits of leaves fell out. I didn't see the bee though.
I collected the leaf bits and put them back inside the rod.

Do you think the bee will know this has happened ? and will it abandon the rod ?

 

Usually they place a grub or egg? inside between the leaves, where it develops and comes out next year as a bee.

 

That's good enough with the phone @Sheps