Our first week of meadow sampling

We were quite lucky with the weather this week; after a cool and windy start it was dry and sunny during the day which means good pollinator weather.
Our perennial flower meadows are starting to flower in earnest now so we visited them this week to see what plants are flowering and what pollinators are visiting the flowers. Have a look how we got on with our pollinator sampling and what pollinators and other insects we have seen:

Walking a transect along the Cintra Park meadow

Ellen has spotted a little solitary bee

And here is the solitary bee in question, probably a Lasioglossum sp.

Sicus ferrugineus flies: larvae are endoparasites of bumblebees

Each meadow has now a meadow sign with more information

Andrena nitida in a buttercup (Ranunculus sp.)

One of our control meadows, a sea of daisies

We have seen a lot of tree bumblebees (Bombus hypnorum) this week

A bumblebee mimicking hoverfly

We have caught a pollinator which gets bagged for identification

Looking for pollinators in the Portman Road meadow

Having lunch next to our annual meadow in Caversham cemetery

Ox-eye daisies flowering in the Portman Road meadow

Viper`s bugloss attracts a common carder bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum)

We have seen a lot of these little solitary bees this week

A beautiful rose chafer in theWestfield Road Recreation Ground meadow