I took your advice and went into our garden yesterday evening, in the late sunshine, looking for more bumble bees to photograph. It was much easier as they were slower.
There is a huge pile of comfrey plants which the bumble bees love and I spent my time trying not to get in their way while they buzzed into all the flowers.
I was captivated while they flew their figures of eight around me and the flowers.
I must admit that I do love their fuzzy little bottoms.
Later in the day, I returned to my comfrey patch and my bumble bees. I like bee-watching. There is something relaxing about watching someone else work very hard!
It had been raining in the afternoon, too.
Now I think I have identified my bees as being the “Northern White-tailed Bumblebee”
(Bombus magnus) – This is a common visitor to gardens and crofting land throughout Shetland, except Fair Isle. It is the earliest species to appear in Shetland in spring, and can be seen anytime between April and September. The Northern White-tail is a very neat, clean-looking species. It has a black thorax, with a single yellow band at the front. The abdomen has another yellow band, and a white tail; hence this is Shetland’s only ‘double banded white-tail’. – Shetland Amenity Trust.
Bombus Magnus is a very fitting name, I think.
Oh, those little fuzzy butts!
