Category
Spring emergences
Three to spot
Early Bumblebee. Photo: Nick Upton (rspb-images.com)
Easy to find
Early Bumblebee
The Early Bumblebee can be seen in a variety of habitats across the UK. It has a distinctive yellow band at the front of the thorax. Both the males and females have another band in front of the abdomen. The queens, males and workers all have orange tails.
Oak Beauty. Photo: blickwinkel (Alamy Stock Photo)
Tricky to find
Oak Beauty
Flying from late February, the Oak Beauty is a master of disguise. Found in mature oak woodland as well as scrub and even suburban areas, it has mottled (almost pepper-like) brown and grey markings across the wings, which helps it camouflage against bark.
Oil Beetle. Photo: Annabel Sharpe (rspb-images.com)
Lucky to find
Short-necked Oil Beetle
Suffering drastic declines, this beetle can now only be found on dunes, sandy heaths and coastal grasslands in south-west England, Ireland and Western Scotland. It’s shiny blue-black with a rectangular-shaped thorax and short antennae. See them from March to June.
An Early Bumblebee adult feeding on a purple flower. Video: @RSPBEvents
