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and sunned it self on the glossy ivy leaves that cover our south-facing fence. This spring generation develops from caterpillars that fed on ivy, but probably not this clump, since they eat the developing flower buds and we don’t have any here yet. They

, and the warm weather. And that weather has already brought forth its first worshippers. Within minutes of exploring the garden we are buzzed by a bee-fly, Bombylius major, that perfect herald of spring as it bobs its hovering flight over the red dead nettle

with that wiggle thing cats do when they stalk something. Then the spring was released. The fox bolted forwards, right towards us as we stood transfixed in the kitchen. The squirrel was anything but fixed and dived through the fennel twigs, over the iris and up

it on the Rye in 2005 when trees on the south side were affected, but not the ones along the north.The wet spring appeared to delay the mines, I noticed them in May last year but they have caught up with a vengeance. Even so, they do not appear to be as ravaged

adaptation to the disappearance of greenery in autumn and the fact that these bugs sun themselves on brown tree trunks to warm up when they re-emerge in spring.I can't resist picking up these bumbling creatures, they're lovely. Their clockwork gait is almost

completely different foodplants. Butterflies in the spring emergence lay their eggs on holly and their caterpillars feed on the developing buds. When these insects reach adulthood in late-summer they lay their eggs on ivy flower buds. At least

for jumping or burrowing like similarly endowed insects, nor does it seem to use them in any peculiar mating ritual. And, as my finder asked, if only the males have fat legs what do we call the females?On the allotment, spring has arrived in the form of a

down drastically. There was a time when the water was only potable after using one of those tabletop filter devices to get rid of the chlorine smell, but now it's as clear as bottled spring water. I've always told people that the tap water is now fine

. Hopefully to be caught by the beekeeper and introduced to a new hive or skep. In a good spring, when nectar and pollen are in glut, an early swarm in May or June would be a welcome increase to the keeper's holdings well worth that hay or spoon.April does

they hunted in packs, like wolves. Of course, each is hunting alone, but they often appear in numbers at this time of year, scurrying across bare ground in the spring sunshine.The ones running around my tulips are Pardosa, and although I can't decide exactly