What a complete washout of a day. When the rain finally stopped it was too dark for a walk. So instead here are a few images of one of my favourite bees to be found only in the Autumn.
Ivy Bees (Colletes hederae).
This bee was first seen in the British Isles in Dorset in 2001, having arrived from continental Europe.
It is a real stunner of a bee and a species that is solely dependant on Ivy flowers. In some ways, it is a "seasonal" bee as it appears in September before disappearing in November.
