Queen Bumblebees and butterflies yesterday in my Sussex garden

 It was a warm day yesterday: well above average for the time of year.

 Tree bumblebee queens, Bombus hypnorum (above) were flying and feasting on nectar from
Daphne bhuola.

 Two Red admiral butterflies were similarly filling their stomachs with nectar.

A Buff-tailed bumblebee, Bombus terrestris queen was active,

It was the fragrant flowers of Daphne bhuola that attracted these and other insects like hoverflies,below.

Speakers' secretaries may be interested in my talk on 

The extraordinary lives of wild bees and the important role of gardeners in their survival at http://www.peterlovetttalks.co.uk/page15.html

Butterbur in Chownes Mead Lane, Haywards Heath RH16 4BS

 It was lovely to see Butterbur, Petasites hybridus, flowering today in Cuckfield, West Sussex, UK