Mining bee, possibly yellow-legged

Mining bee, possibly yellow-legged

Mining bee, solitary bee seen early in the season. ID’d by iNaturalist as a yellow-legged mining bee. If that’s correct, it was towards the northern edge of its range.

Coltsfoot by canal

Coltsfoot by canal

I’ve seen very few coltsfoots this year. These were flowering right at the edge of the canal between Aldersley and Oxley.

Coltsfoot by canal

Blackthorn flowers, Langley Road

Blackthorn flowers, Langley Road

Blackthorn flowers cover their bushes before the leaves begin to break. Long stretches of the hedge along Langley Road, dropping down out of town from Merry Hill, are planted with blackthorn. These were the first flowers to start to open, in a oprocess which should now be at its height.