A leggy brunette

European Hornet
European Hornet Vespa crabro

Hornets are eating large holes in the hanging fruit on one of the apple trees, a Cox’s probably, sweeter by far than the cooking apples. We had quite a few hornet queens buzzing round in spring and were hoping they wouldn’t stick around or set up somewhere ‘inconvenient’ there are plenty of woods and trees to choose from. It appears we do have a nest in one of the hazel’s in the garden, every so often the low buzz of a hornet proceeds past at chest height and into the tree. Hornet activity so far seems more relaxed than the incessant comings and goings of a wasp nest. More about hornets on the BBC website

As far as I can tell we’ve no wasp nests close to home unlike last year although there were lots of queens on the wing in April.

Today a Humming Bird Hawk Moth was favouring the Verbena bonariensis, I think the first I’ve seen this year.