You absolutely could both come down, Cath. Let's hatch a plan. I'm heading out shortly but will email you later x

Love it!

I know! Less cautious then, though...

You can't beat old cine footage!

We lived in Ghana in the early 60s, and my Dad took lots of cine film. Mostly buildings & military parades, but I've discovered a few rare family clips.

Looks like we had a dog, and from this short clip I suspect I loved the dog more than the dog loved me.

Voluminous yellow dress made by my mum!

You need to come and visit me in May, Cath... you will hear them, for sure... and I can almost guarantee that you will see one!

I love everything about it, Amanda. I'm learning so much... and SO enjoying the way you write.

Our allotment Wren having a sing-off with the neighbouring allotment's Wren 🎶 🎵

Every year, Cath... sometimes up to 6 males congragating in the same area!

Oh how lovely, Elizabeth... I'll look that up, Thank you!

I did, Becky!

LOVE this! 👇

What a wonderful record.... all the more so for being recorded on the privvy wall!

Book recommendation!

'Wild Pavements' by @amandatuke.bsky.social is beautifully written, packed with interesting & knowledgeable snippets of information, and full of love and joy - not only for plants, but for ALL wild life.

And you don't need to live in a city to appreciate & enjoy this book...

Apologies for the wind sound, but can you hear him? My first Cuckoo of the year... WOOHOO!!!

I followed his call till I saw him calling from a tree for a split second - before he was chased away across the moor by a couple of worried Meadow Pipits...

Thank you...

Thank you so much... I wish you could be there too!

Thank you so much, Jenny 🐝

Brigit Strawbridge Howard – Dancing with Bees - The du Maurier Fowey Literary Festival Enchanting, insightful and full of quiet magic, this event is perfect for nature lovers, gardeners, environmentalists and anyone ready to fall under the spell of bees.

Over the moon to be speaking this year at the du Maurier Fowey Literary Festival, about my book 'Dancing with Bees'

Do please come if you can... or pass details to anyone visiting, or living in Cornwall who might be interested

Fri 8th May at 11am

Tickets 👇

www.foweyfestival.com/event/brigit...

More bee drama on the patio. 20cms from previous nest, could hear crunching sound, then bits came out of hole. Started filming & this much smaller bee came out & picked up a bit. Not sure what's going on, but fascinating. @kitenet.bsky.social @brigitstrawbridge.bsky.social @entomophily.bsky.social

Absolutely love your bees, Ian. I hope you get more footage of this one. Looks like another Osmia species... perhaps collecting mud for a nest she has started elsewhere?

The storage drawers were a gift, but in case it is of interest, I believe they came from Meeden Art Supplies

uk.meedenart.com/collections/...

At last I have somewhere to store all the flowers, leaves, and seed heads I've been pressing 🌸

I enjoyed sorting the pressed flowers almost as much as I enjoy sorting sea glass!

Best of all, my flower presses are all empty and ready to fill up again. I think this is going to be quite addictive..

How lovely! If she hadn't been making her nest in a bird box, I'd have said she was a Common Carder bumblebee, but of course it could just be the angle of the photograph which doesn't show the distinct white tail...

I believe Common Carders have occasionally been known to use bird boxes.

Flower workshop

Animal workshop

Wildlife in context

There are a few spaces left in some of the workshops I’m running as part of my exhibition at Made in Stirling… book your place here:
www.tickettailor.com/events/madei...
No experience needed, they will be lovely days of painting with palette knives for any level. Lunch and arty chat included!☺️

Thank you @gabgoss.bsky.social for sharing this

Emergence dynamics and host-parasite associations in a large aggregation of Andrena regularis (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Andrenidae) - Apidologie Ground-nesting solitary bees play a vital role in pollination, yet many aspects of their nesting ecology remain understudied, including population dynamics and interactions with brood parasites. We us...

Full paper here: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Scientists just discovered 5.6 million bees under a New York State cemetery This whopping bee aggregation is one of the largest and oldest ever recorded, according to a new study

"New research points to the importance of cemeteries as habitat for ground-nesting bees—an 'exceptionally important' pollinator"

Worth a read!

www.scientificamerican.com/article/scie...

This is fascinating, thank you so much for thinking of me, and sharing the article. Just looking at the full paper, now...

"This is not a reintroduction project and no animals will be released. Instead @kernowconservation.bsky.social are preparing Cornwall so that as pine martens naturally recolonise, they will find a landscape ready to support them 🌳.

Please help if you can!

www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/cornwall-p...