Eye on Nature: ‘I have found a beautiful queen ... bee in the polytunnel in my garden'
tree
in St Anne's Park. We were wondering what they were.
– Senan, Eoghan and Darragh Quill, Dublin
These are the cones of a cedar tree. Squirrels have been eating the seeds contained in the cones and what you found are the stripped remains with just the bottoms of the cones left. They probably ate them during the winter as squirrels do not hibernate, but forage on the ground during bright, dry winter days looking for things to eat.
Large carder bee, supplied by Klaus Harvey.
For the third year in a row, I have found a beautiful queen moss/large carder bee in the polytunnel in my garden in mid-April. I understand that they are on the Red List of endangered bumblebee species, so I am thrilled that she/they are surviving and hopefully thriving somewhere close by.
– Klaus Harvey, Cork
Yes, this is indeed a large carder bee, distinguished from the common carder bee by having no black hairs at all on its abdomen (they are all an orangey-yellow). Queens emerge as early as March and build a nest of moss above ground in vegetation. They prefer to visit flowers of the pea family and will visit clover flowers, among others, in search of nectar and pollen. It is described as near-threatened on the 2006 Red List, but the most recent data from the
All-Ireland Bumblebee Monitoring Scheme
(2024) show that it is still in serious decline nationally.
READ MORE
Ruby tiger moth, supplied by Michael Fletcher.
On April 9th, which was a very warm day, I watched this moth emerge from a cocoon while climbing over rocks on the beach at Ard Forest, Creeslough, Co Donegal. Can you identify it?
– Michael Fletcher, Donegal
I presume it was you rather than this ruby tiger moth climbing over the rocks on the beach. It overwinters as a caterpillar in a hairy, silken cocoon, emerges to feed for a short while, and then spins a cocoon in which it changes into an adult. This emerges as the first adult generation, flying from April to June. It lays eggs that hatch into hairy caterpillars, which feed on dandelions and docks. Pupation happens soon after and the second generation will be on the wing from July until October.
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Eye on Nature: 'An alderfly is usually found resting in large numbers on waterside vegetation'
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Goldcrest, supplied by Brendan O'Donoghue.
I saw this bird that I did not recognise. I got fleeting photos of it. This is the best one, sorry about the quality. Hope you can identify it.
– Brendan O'Donoghue
It seemed a bit stretched out for a goldcrest, but Niall Hatch of Birdwatch Ireland confirmed that it is indeed so. He says that it is a female, judging by the yellow, not golden, crown-stripe and suggests it is stretching for an insect. It is our smallest bird, weighing a mere 5g. The highest densities are found in broad-leafed and coniferous woods and gardens with good vegetation. It feeds on spiders and small insects and builds its nest under thick cover in conifers or dense ivy.
Wild rhubarb, supplied by Mairead Loughman.
We are drowning in giant wild rhubarb this year – all over the gardens and hedgerows. Can you advise how to get rid of it? I have tried cutting it back and pouring boiling water over it, but it just grows stronger.
– Mairead Loughman
This plant – Gunnera tinctoria – is a South American species with huge spreading leaves that can grow up to 2m across. It was originally introduced into Ireland as an attractive herbaceous plant for large gardens, but it has entirely lost the run of itself as conditions here suit it so very well and has become invasive. It leaves bare soil exposed and liable to erosion as it dies back in autumn. Dig it out then.
Please submit your nature query, observation, or photo, with a location, via
irishtimes.com/eyeonnature
or by email to weekend@irishtimes.com
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