The churchyard at Wilby near Attleborough was a new spot for me on Monday as I dragged myself out. I was buoyed by the fact that it's not far to drive, or walk once there as I ease myself back to life! The first singing Chiffchaff of the year serenaded me as I left the house.
The reason for wanting to go was that Jeremy and Vanna had found Bristly Millipedes on the walls of south side of the church - a lovely little species I was keen to see. It took me some while to find a couple. I knew they were small but didn't have any real appreciation as to how small! Nonetheless they are perfection in miniature which I hope shows in my photographs below. Also on the wall was a very small metallic bee which I photographed and have since been able to narrow down to Smeathman's Furrow Bee (with the help of Steven Falk), one of 4 very very similar metallic Lasioglossums. What a fantastic learning curve!
After that success I turned my attention to the rest of the churchyard and it didn't disappoint. Along the north side around Lesser Celandines and flowering Ivy I found Pied Shieldbug, Pine Ladybird, Harlequin Ladybird, Seven-spotted Ladybird, the sawfly Aglaostigma aucupariae, my first Dark-edged Beefly of the spring, Yellow Dung Fly, Brimstone and Short-fringed Mining Bee.
As I turned to leave I spotted one more flowering shrub at the east end of the churchyard so wandered over to have a quick look - and struck gold! A largish and very distinctively dark 'pied' bee was nectaring and luckily stuck around for a few photos. At the time I didn't know what it was but being so distinctive was sure I could id it from photographs. And it has turned out to be the very rare Ashy Furrow Bee, Lasioglossum sexnotatum. A mega exciting find of a species with just a handful of records from just Norfolk and Suffolk at an exceptionally early date and new location. That made my morning, if not my whole spring! The same shrub also had a nice Grey-patched Mining Bee.
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