Ashy

When I first got into this solitary bee lark, a decade or so ago, I had a lot of Ashy Mining Bees in my garden. This made me very happy, because they're

a) delightful; and

b) easy to identify.

So they were important to me, in and of themselves, but also as a marker on my invertebrate journey. Which is why, when they suddenly disappeared about five years ago, I was seriously upset. Since then I've been lucky to spot one or two each season, but now - oh joy! - they're back in force. Their return is no more explicable than their earlier population collapse, so I can't protect them from whatever happened last time, but for now I'm just enjoying seeing these little flashes of grey and black whizzing around the garden, and occasionally stopping to groom themselves or rest. 

This individual is a male. Females are similar, but bulkier, with a broader, more rounded abdomen. They're hairier on the thorax, with a distinct grey collar and belt, the white hair on their faces is shorter and neater, and they have much hairier legs, with a heavy black pollen brush. Steven Falk's species page shows the differences well, describes their ecology, and lists their main parasites. I haven't seen a Nomada lathburiana for a while - unsurprisingly in the circumstances - but I'll have to start looking out for them again now.

In other news, my back is quite a bit better, though still a long way from best. Thanks to all who sent good wishes.