Morning Honey Bee

I had an early morning trot round Thorpe Wood, seeking specimens of yellow-flowered Asteraceae for a workshop on their identification I was running at Whisby Nature Park in the afternoon. Things didn't look too hopeful, but last year's coppice plot provided a good range of Sow-thistles, Nipplewort and Prickly Lettuce, while Autumn Hawkbit was locally abundant on a  nearby road verge. The light was glorious, but I could only stop for a moment to capture this Honey Bee  nectaring on an Ivy blossom.

I was glad that I'd gathered various specimens as there were very few still in flower at Whisby. The session went well, with no technical hitches and a lovely group of enthusiastic amateur botanists who hopefully won't shy away from trying to identify this rather difficult group of plants in future!