Early Bumblebee - late in the day

A bittersweet day spent at the funeral of C - a moving funeral with a wonderful eulogy given by my niece, followed by the chance to catch up with many relatives that I hadn't seen for nearly two years at the wake. As is usual when we get together there was more laughter than tears - and a great feeling of family solidarity.

Later in the evening I spent half-an-hour in the garden, winding down. The late hour and damp grey weather meant that there were few insects about apart from a few hardy bumblebees and several china mark moths around the large pond, which fluttered ceaselessly over its surface. 

Smooth newts were courting in the pond, now largely vacated by the frog tadpoles, which had developed rapidly during the warm spell of weather. There are still tadpoles in the small pond, a second brood laid after the first died during the spring frosts, as well as several young water boatmen.

While peering at the plants to see what I could find I came across a couple of species that might be considered 'undesirable'. The Common Knapweed is supporting large colonies of aphids, but these are important food for smaller birds such as Blue Tits, who may still be feeding young. I also spotted a Simulium fly which can inflict nasty bites - these are associated with running water so it may have flown in from the stream in Thorpe Hall. 

In our garden, we accept all our wildlife - though we try and control some of the more aggressive plants such as couch and bindweed we never aim for elimination. Even 'undesirable' species have an ecological role and are fascinating in their own right.