Little and Large

Sitting quietly on the canal bank I could see this bee bomber heading my way. Golden coloured and massive in comparison to all the other bees around, he looked huge.

I crept nearer the edge of the water, balancing a trifle precariously hoping that he would stop somewhere near. Making a bit of a play for the yellow iris he then moved on to this dandelion! The sky was scudding with clouds so the light was incredibly bright one minute and quite dark the next and as my fingers flew over the dials I was praying for just one shot that would be properly exposed as the little indicator was flying wildly to both extremes!

This is a Carder bee and it lives in a colony in cavities, moss mats or mouse runs containing about 200 workers, feeding on the flowers till autumn. Fairly common in meadows and pastures feeding on nettles, knapweed, balsam, vetch, clover and monkshood.

Rabbit update: Peanut has met his soulmate Lucy and is living in the most amazing des-res imaginable. A wendy-house, trendily painted with two storey accommodation thermal lined and a run the size of a greenhouse to boot. Two lovely schoolchildren who fell in love with him at first sight and who like cuddles. Lucy rabbit is apparently head-over heels already .......then who could blame her!

Happy ending for all concerned!