The leaf cutter bee is about!! They use little circles of leaf to close up where they have laid eggs. It is quite a small bee, doesn't sting, and is native to Scotland.
It is also a very good pollenator..so I am not grumbling too much that they are cutting some of the pea leaves as well as young rose leaves...they have been pollenating the peas well!
Sunday saw us going to Kirrochtree mountain bike center near Newton Stewart to support our Fife friend in the British MTB cross country champs.
We went over the mountain road through mist and cloud, after Saturday's rain. Some riders had watched Saturday's events and had a ride on the course and decided not to ride..fair enough if you don't think yourself capable in the conditions.
It didn't rain for most of the day. But it was very muddy!!
I sat in the sun and people watched while Pirate handed up drinks bottles...the 60+ age group did three laps..
The effect....and the result...
We left after his event to have our ride...on the bike route, on path, pavement and lane, to Wigton and a mile on to the next village for a lot of tea for two at the pub...the only place open!
Then as it started raining, back to Newton Stewart with a tailwind! Total ride about twenty miles...well, almost!! A snack in the car then home in the car through the rain to see the last of the Tour de France programme..and the highlights of the first stage of the Tour de France femmes! Unfortunately that is online for the rest of the week.
The rain has been very welcome in the garden plus seeing where our construction may be leaking..I think those will be sorted by painting the outside of the internal doors that were used as walls.
The lower temperature is not so welcome...back to 17 degrees but feeling 14 or less due to windchill...it could be worse I suppose!!!
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12 comments:
Crazy weather. It's cool here as well, for the entire week.
That leaf cutter bee makes a mess of the leaves but, as you say, it is good that it is doing its job of pollinating.
You passed within half a mile of us and I would have put the kettle on in no time and I always have cake.
I hope no one slid off their bikes in the mud, that could get a bit messy.
Quite a few did Amy...and it was very muddy!!
Jessica you will have to tell us where to find you!!
I have never heard of a leaf cutter bee!
Thankyou Jessica for the directions..hope we may call by sometime 🙂
We had leaf cutter bees in Arizona. There was an enormous bougainvillea in the front yard, and the bee cut every single leaf. It was amazing. They, and mason bees, are said to be super pollinators.
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Just catching up on blogs after a long while away. I am in France for much of the summer - in the Alps. The cycling here is hard but fabulous, though for the last few weeks it has been simply too hot. `i don't like all the downhillers on the piste slopes _ I know many of them are very skilled, but let's face it - it's not proper cycling is it!
We get leafcutter bees in the South as we have them in Oxfordshire, I've watched them cutting the rose leaves and packing them in the bee hotel. I've only been at one MTB event in Wales but would like to see another
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