A male Orange Tip butterfly posing nicely on my white Narcissus Thalia today. #UKWildlife #Butterflies #UKButterflies

Melecta albifrons, Common Mourning Bee, first sighting of the year in my garden near Faversham. #bees

My first Dotted Bee-fly, Bombylius discolor, of the year, a male, in my garden near Faversham, Kent. #BeeFlyWatch

A male Hairy-footed Flower-bee, Anthophora plumipes in my garden today. #UKWildlife #Bees

A slightly scruffy Peacock butterfly on a Hyacinth in my garden today.

A Tawny mining bee, Andrena fulva, on a Kilmarnock willow in my garden yesterday.

A Dark-edged Bee-fly, Bombylius major, in my garden near Faversham, Kent today. #BeeFlyWatch

I have my first female Hairy-footed Flower-bee, Anthophora plumipes, of the year in my garden today. The males have been about for a couple of weeks. #UKWildlife #Bees

A Queen Garden Bumblebee, Bombus hortorum, heading for Red Deadnettle. #UKWildlife #Bees

A male Hairy-footed Flower bee, Anthophora plumipes, on Pulmonaria in my garden yesterday. #UKWildlife #Bees

A Small Tortoiseshell butterfly in my garden today. Near Faversham, Kent. #UKWildlife #Butterflies

The first Tawny mining bee (Andrena fulva) of the year. A female on Cherry plum blossom in my garden today, near Faversham, Kent #UKWildlife

First Bee-fly of the year! A male Bombylius major in my garden near Faversham, Kent. A week earlier than last year. #BeeFlyWatch #UKWildlife

A Brimstone butterfly on Pulmonaria in my garden yesterday. #ukwildlife #ukbutterflies

First Bombus pratorum, Early bumblebee queens of the year in my garden today. Two seen. #ukwildlife

A Bombus terrestris, Buff tailed bumblebee worker collecting lots of pollen from Winter Honeysuckle in my garden this morning. #ukwildlife #bees

My first Hairy-footed flower bees, Anthophora plumipes of 2025 in my garden today. I saw two males buzzing about. They are a couple of weeks later than last year. #ukwildlife #bees

I found this piece of beeswax today. It had just fallen off a branch where a swarm of honeybees stayed for a few days last July. Old photo of the swarm too!

A male Blackcap has made several visits to my sunflower heart feeders today. I often see them in the garden in warmer months but not seen them using the feeders in winter before. I’m in Kent. #ukwildlife #Birds

I saw my first butterflies of the year today as it was sunny and much milder than of late. A Red Admiral resting on a window frame and then looking for nectar on Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox). I also saw a Brimstone but it didn’t sit still for a photo.

Mistletoe in old lime trees.

A Jay collecting peanuts in my garden this afternoon.

I topped up and made new sections of dead hedge today with Elder and buddleja prunings. It makes a nice habitat for all sorts of creatures.

Jelly ears and Yellow brain fungus today on old decaying stumps.

Long-tailed tits on the suet balls in my garden today. There’s a little group of 7 that visit several times a day. #ukwildlife #birds

There were 4 Queen Bombus terrestris, Buff tailed bumblebees on this Mahonia today. One collecting pollen so has a winter active nest. Temp was about 5 or 6 degrees, sunny but with frost still on the ground. Kent.

A beautiful female Tawny mining bee, Andrena fulva in my Kent garden today. #UKWildlife #Bees

My first Andrena species this year in my Kent garden. It was bedraggled but dried off in a few mins (1st pic). I was thinking maybe Andrena nigroaenea but could be way off and it may not be poss. to id from photos. It has a stylops. Any thoughts please @ianbeavis.bsky.social or @rdimond.bsky.social

Four Bumblebee species in my garden yesterday, all Queens. Bombus terrestris (Buff tailed), hortorum (Garden) hypnorum (Tree) and pratorum (Early).

Red Admiral butterfly on Cherry plum blossom in my garden yesterday.

First Hairy-footed flower bee, Anthophora plumipes of the year in my garden today 🥳 #ukwildlife

Queen Bombus terrestris collecting pollen from Camellia flowers today. There were 3 Queens and 2 were collecting pollen so must have active nests. In Kent and it was about 6 degrees C. #ukwildlife #bees #bumblebee

A male Chaffinch just outside my back door today. Photo taken through the glass. #UKWildlife

For #wildflowerhour and the #NewYearPlantHunt I found 12 species today. A dismal total and only the usual suspects! Daisy, Red and White deadnettles, Annual meadow grass, Petty spurge, Shepherd’s purse, Groundsel, Feaverfew, Annual mercury, Winter heliotrope, Dandelion and Ivy leaved toadflax.

Scarlet Waxcap #fungi growing on the village cricket pitch today 🍄 #FungiFriends

Teasels left for the birds but the seeds have started germinating. #vivipary

Several little 🐞 7 spot ladybird huddles on one smallish Rosemary plant. I counted at least 30 individuals plus a few Rosemary beetles. #UKwildlife

I found a large blob of Witches’ Butter / Yellow Brain Fungus today. I think it had fallen off a dead branch in an Oak tree. #FungiFriends #Fungi 🍄

Spindle berries. Euonymus europaeus.

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Mahonia just coming into flower. It’s a great source of nectar throughout winter for Queen Bumblebees that stir from hibernation on milder days.

Jelly ears for #MushrooomMonday #FungiFriends 🍄

I found these galls on a fallen oak leaf today and I think they might be Cherry Galls made by the gall wasp Cynips quercusfolii.

Snow and lichen.

For my first post on here, a couple of pics of Blue Tits checking out one of my nest boxes today. I don’t know whether they were looking for a nest site, a warmish roosting spot or spiders to eat.