During a walk around the reserve yesterday I was surprised to see that a large dragonfly, possibly a faded southern hawker (it did not settle so not definite ID.) was actively flying back and forth near the Winterbourne stream. Adult dragonflies usually have a short life compared to their nymph that live beneath the surface of the pond.
I was also surprised to see a queen bumble bee active around the edge of the woodland. Queen bumble bees usually hibernate in October, however the weather has remained mild and this may be the reason this bee is still active.
They dig a tunnel or use a natural occurring hole up to 15 cm deep to hibernate in. The tunnel is usually north facing so the bee is not accidentally awakened too early by a winter warm spell. Instead the queen will awaken when the ground has been consistently warmed by the spring sunshine and spring flowers will be available as a nectar source
