Large Scabious Mining Bee

A four-thirty start to the day, to drop Ben at work, before heading south on the motorway for another day at our Kent site. We arrived just after eight-thirty, and for once the weather was beautiful - sunny with little wind, though the breeze did pick up later in the day.

Bees and wasps were a feature of the day - a good diversity including many scarce species. The highlight for me was seeing Large Scabious Mining Bee busily gathering pollen form a large stand of Field Scabious. This is Britain's largest mining bee with females that are substantially larger than a Honey Bee. The pollen of Field Scabious is an attractive salmon-pink, and when the bee has a full pollen load it looks as though it's wearing a rather fancy pair of pink pantaloons. 

The day passed quickly and it was soon time to face the homeward journey, remarkably trouble-free despite a short hold-up at the Dartford crossing. Traffic now seems to be almost back to pre-lockdown days, which is a shame. We dropped Chris at home and then headed back for dinner cooked by Ben and Sarah - a halloumi, broccoli and cashew nut curry - unusual but quite delicious.