Furry and ginger...

...pretty much describes the Tawny mining bee Andrena fulva. This is one of the first solitary bees to emerge in the spring, and it's gloriously rich reddish-coloured fur makes it easier to identify than most. It's very common in gardens, even in city centres. Many people will have several of them nesting in their lawns each year without really knowing they are there.


As their name suggests, female Tawny mining bees dig holes in the ground to provide a safe nesting place where they can lay their eggs and the young bees can develop before emerging the following year. Unlike honey bees or most bumblebees, Andrena species are solitary and females work on their own to build a nest and collect pollen for the young to feed on, but there might be many nests concentrated in a small area, giving the impression of social activity. Males are smaller and brownish. They play no part in nest building or providing for their offspring. 



This little bee was photographed in the garden in one of the relatively brief sunny spells we've had today. Mostly it's been rather grey and breezy, and distinctly cooler than the last couple of days. Pete and I spent the morning recording plants in South Lincolnshire and found some wonderful verges, rich in wildflowers including primroses, wood anemones, meadow-sweet and goldilocks. Sadly verges like this are now comparatively rare, and most are dominated by coarse species such as nettles, hogweed and cow parsley which are able to benefit from increasing levels of aerial nitrogen deposition.