March already

March always takes me by surprise. I realised today that the end of winter is within sight, and it hasn't really felt like a proper winter, as it has been very mild, with a scattering of frosts, although very windy and overcast. With the sun out today, a dronefly Eristalis tenax stirred up and alternatively visited the Laurustinus on the shade and sunbathed in the wall opposite. A pack of young wolf spiders enjoyed the sun too. I wandered around and realised the garden is ready for my favouring early spring invertebrate, Anthophora plumipes, the hairy footed flower bee. Males should be appearing by the end of this week, weather permitting. I photographed their favourite flowers at bee-eye view. I hope they don't make me wait too long.

Pardosa sp wolf spider sunbathing

White dead-nettle

Rosemary

Muscari

Narcissus tete-a-tete

Lungwort

Primroses

Laurustinus blossom and Tree Bumblebee

The blossom of Laurustinus, Viburnum tinus, is brightening the gardens around town. This morning I surprised this Tree Bumblebee queen, the first of the year, basking on the sunny flowers.

More awakenings

 The early spring temperatures continued today. Ants were scouting out of their nests, sage leafhoppers were active and honeybees and droneflies enjoyed the Laurustinus. I waited until the bee and the dronefly visited the same inflorescence to take the above shot. I wonder if the Laurustinus flowers change colour when they are pollinated, in the same way as the Horse Chestnuts, white when fresh and turning red when already pollinated and stop producing nectar. 

We counted over 100 7-spot ladybirds in the garden. Some were eating aphids on the spurge.

The entrance of the burrow of a large Amaurobius spider under a garage roof. If you click to embiggen you can see the remains of a wasp a Harlequin and some wings I cannot identify, possibly from bluebottles.

A green shieldbug, Palomena prasina, on its dark winter attire came out of its overwintering refuge.

 Wolf spiders enjoyed the sun on the sunny side of the garden.

Spring unfurling

 We rose to quasi tropical temperatures for mid February today, reaching 15.5 oC in this clear sunny day. Many overwintering bugs woke up, stretched and started buzzing about. Tens, hundreds of 7 spot ladybirds everywhere, coming out from folded, dried up leaves and positioning themselves on sunny spots. I disturbed a green caterpillar while gardening and woodlice were also active.
 The garden is still very sparse in the flower front. Today the first tete-a-tete daffodil opened and there are a few primroses. That is a problem if you rely on nectar and pollen for energy. Two droneflies (Eristalis tenax) including the female on the top shot fed on honeydew on the ivy. Notice its long, dark proboscis licking the leaf and the spots of honeydew on the leaf on the foreground. Later one of them flew to the Lauristinus, which is now in full bloom, where it joined a honeybee and another early hoverfly species (Meliscaeva auricollis).  Marmalade flies (Episyrphus balteatus) were also about.

Dronefly on Laurustinus

A dead queen wasp

Marmalade hoverfly, Episyrphus balteatus

The hoverfly Meliscaeva auricollis also in Laurustinus