Tawny Mining-bee

The Tawny Mining-bee Andrena fulva is one of the few instantly recognisable solitary bees, with the female wearing a bright-red coat of fur. They're fairly common in gardens in England, and will often nest in lawns and tended flower beds. The nest is a vertical shaft 200 to 300 mm (8 to 12 in) with several brood cells branching off it. The female fills these cells with a mixture of nectar and pollen, on which she lays one egg in each cell. The larva hatches within a few days, grows quickly and pupates within a few weeks. The adults emerge in spring after hibernation, with their peak emergence coinciding with the blossom of many fruit trees. They fly fast and low, but I was lucky to find this one resting on the candy-striped leaf bract of an Alexanders plant..