Resurrection

After a year and a half I have decided to resurrect Batch Valley Wildlife. My diary of sightings in Batch Valley and its surrounds on the Long Mynd. Batch Valley is the entry point to the Long Mynd from where I live, in the village of All Stretton in the Shropshire Hills.

To start here is a delightful monochrome bee that I found resting on some scree in Jonathan's Hollow. This is one of the solitary bees, a male Ashy Mining Bee (Andrena cineraria).

Ashy Mining Bee (Andrena cineraria)

This is apparently quite a common and distinctive solitary bee, which is typically recorded in the spring months. It is apparently increasing in abundance across it's range, and this is hopefully not the last time I will record this in the valley.