The warm week (18c again today) has seen the sudden appearance of the three "B's" in our garden -

Yesterday (after the fog and cloud had cleared around lunchtime) I watched the first butterfly of the year bounce quickly through the garden - an early comma butterfly (always one of the earliest to appear as many overwinter as hibernating adults).

Last night I watched a pipistrelle (common or soprano - I don't know which but I do know both roost locally thanks to a past bat survey in the 'hood) fly over the house at dusk - the first bat I've seen all year.

Today, the even warmer sun produced the first mining bee I've seen in 2012 (and positively identified). A brassy mining bee - link to an old photo of mine here. Brassy mining bees are great fun to watch - miniscule but very territorial when they find a source of nectar - always attacking each other! I do love my mining and mason bees - I must drill them a bee post soon...

I hear the weather is due to get wetter over the weekend - shame - I'm getting used to this dry warmth...