I thought they were flying towards the big cherry tree in the garden to the east.

Nest locations ringed on images. Should be photographable with a bit of pateince.

Visiting Ranworth Church this am, following up a belated report of a new bee for Norfolk on iNaturalist by bhunt27, I quickly discovered a thriving colony of Osmia cornuta nesting in the south-facing wall of the church. Most nests are 3-5m up but a few were at head height.

I stumbled across these "gendarmes" Pyrrhocoris apterus at Thorpe St. Andrew Old Hospital while looking for, but not finding, a different black and red insect around the Colletes cunicularius colony. A Norfolk and UK first for me so even better than a Giant Blood Bee.

Yes, and seems to be working in Norfolk, with LSMB now found throughout the county except on heavy clay, even on my allotment. Buglife seem to have got lost in translation, referring to "teasel" rather than scabious specialist bees on their website. Hopefully they haven't yet ordered the seed.

A good idea, but only a tiny minority of insect species inside stems will be active by April. June is the peak month for insect emergence. Better to leave cleared stems in a dry place with similar microclimate to where they grew so they can emerge at any time.

A grassy bank full sweet violet flowers next to a pavement.

10 species on violets, chickweed, red dead nettle and daisy here in Brundall, which is the most I have seen in Feb. Most of yours, plus Andrena thoracica and flavipes, and Lasioglossum calceatum and smeathmanellum.

Same here, coughing and spluttering to an all time best of 55 species at Brundall.

I have no eye for ants in the field but L.meridionalis seems plausible based on habitat, though workers "rarely seen above ground". Would need a very close look under a microscope to confirm.

9 years of successful breeding in the Norwich area seems fairly established, similar in Cambs and presumably some southern counties. The Walled Garden in Little Plumstead is the easiest place to see them.

They are having a great year and seems likely viable populations are now established in Norfolk, Cambs and a few other counties.

Males have reported in the Norwich area from mid July which is about a month earlier than typical.

Yes of course!

Trimingham is the only one place I know in East Anglia where I can reliably find Andrena nigripes. Today, at least 9 females were visiting in ragwort, knapweed and mignonette.

Birches were not far away. ID using "the nearest food plant" method has let me down before.

I think this is the larva of Alder Clubhorn, Cimbex connatus, under Alder trees at Broadland Country Park, Norfolk, yesterday.

I see no obvious hairs on T6 and shape of T6 plus colour of pollen brush are consistent only with M.ligniseca, which is also the one that visits thistles most often.

Ceropales maculata, our prettiest spider-hunting wasp, not seen in Norfolk since 1986, but found today at Middle Harling Heath. The Giant Blood-Bee was also new for the site and 122nd bee species I have found there.

Andrena nitidiuscula/Carrot Mining Bee, first Norfolk record at Downham Market, found by Stephen Patmore on 14th and confirmed today. Previously found no further north than S. Essex so a big range extension.

I would say similis with the reddish thorax.

There were at least 30 Polistes dominula at Little Plumstead Walled Garden today. This species is starting to feel established in the Norwich area.

No More Beewashing! Why beekeeping doesn't help conserve bees. YouTube video by Dave Goulson

No more Beewashing please! Why beekeeping doesn't help conserve bees. Pls RT if you agree.
youtu.be/fiBYBmlKSYU

Just thinking Sweet Briar Marshes was a little dull entomologically, then got this tiny one under the microscope. Nitela lucens - a new species and genus for me and for Norfolk.

A nice selection of cleptoparasites and parasitoids of Osmia bees and relatives in my small garden this morning: Monosapyga clavicornis, Sapyga quinquepunctata, Stelis phaeoptera and Chrysura radians. Monosapyga was my first garden record.

This male Bombus jonellus was a surprise among 32 species of bee in and around The Walled Garden at Little Plumstead this morning, and nice to see a paper wasp Polistes dominula in the churchyard next door.

I certainly haven't come across any Norfolk records but dryinids are rarely found by those that submit records to BWARS or irecord. It is new to the Norfolk list I curate.

I expect it will turn up. I found one unexpectedly on my Brundall allotment today.

Colletes cunicularius!

Another weekend and another Giant Blood Bee at a new Norfolk site - Broome Heath. Another recent UK colonist, Lasioglossum sexstrigatum, was there too. These two seem to like the same places.

One female this year in Brundall, in Beech Way, but no nest located.