Dark-edged Bee Fly

3 of these little chaps buzzing around the Honesty plants this afternoon. Not quite so enchanting as the hummingbird hawk moth, but pleased to see them anyway. They are not a bee at all and they do not bite or sting. However... they are parasitic on solitary bees so harmless unless you are a developing bee larvae.

Comma Butterfly

A lovely spring day yesterday, saw this overwintering Comma butterfly flitting about the copse of the East side of our little plot. It is resting on the emerging Cow Parsley. I also saw a Tortoiseshell and Peacock butterfly enjoying the Spring warmth. No sign yet of a Brimstone or Orangetip.

Coltsfoot

 

This cheery Coltsfoot is pretty much the only wildflower I could find that was in full bloom in the meadow; no sign of the leaves which lends the plant it's name; these will appear later. The appearance of the flowers before the leaves is why this plant  is also known as 'son before father', hinting at  the seemingly strange order of the plants emergence. Historically, the plant was used for its alleged medicinal properties, however in more recent times the plant was found to contain toxins potentially damaging to the liver so should not be consumed. Simply enjoy its cheery disposition on a cold March day.

Hit to Toad Jack...

 

Found this little chap nestling under a sheet of corrugated Onduline next to a pile of logs near the pond.

Sadly no toad or frogs sporn to be seen in the pond as yet. I will be keeping an eye out for newts returning to the pond as the weather warms (hopefully) over the coming weeks. We had newts appear and breed in the pond last year even though the pond had only recently been completed. Excited to see if we get our first ever frog and toad sporn arriving in 2022, although if it doesn't happen soon we are unlikely to get any this year. Watch this space.