SAVE THE DATE: 29th February 2020 - CBDC Recorders' Conference, Carlisle. The annual conference has been postponed until February next year to allow recorders, recording groups and CBDC time to process 2019 records and provide an opportunity for "hot off the press" reports and presentations. We haven't decided a theme yet...but the date is triggering a few ideas.

Lovely pictures....lovely records. If you like bryos and lichens its well worth a visit to the LOST project photo competition exhibition at CWT Gosling Syke Office.

Our species of the week is Gold-Tailed melitta Bee (Melitta haemorrhoidalis).

The UK has 276 recorded species of bees living here, one of these is Gold-Tailed Melitta. Which is very particular when it comes to pollen, only collecting from species of the Bellflower. Bee species with a narrow pollen source are called oligolecty, these bees either only collect from a single genus or even a single plant species. This species is also interesting as it is a ground nesting bee living in ground foliage and excavating small burrows to breed in.

This species is under recorded in the UK particularly in the North and it was only rediscovered in this area when it was found in Grange-Over-Sands in 1926 after an absence of 50 years. This species is very rare in the north though there are some confirmed records in Scotland. Here at the CBDC we only have 26 records in total.

Bees are a very exiting group to record as there is such a large variety of species all with different niches and behaviors. Records of Bee species like the Gold-Tailed Melitta are so important to understand bees in the UK and identify which may be vulnerable, as they are so important to our world, but also they are great indicators of biodiversity in all different areas.

For more information and for exiting bee related events check out Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s- Get Cumbria Buzzing project; https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/about/what-we-do/living-landscapes/wildlife-conservation-projects/pollinators

Below shows an image of the Gold-Tailed Melitta, let us know in the comments below if you have seen any interesting species of Bee recently!

Fantastic event!
Still some places on the next workshop, follow the link to book yours!

Recorders, admiring the view? Join CBDC on its final recording day of 2019 at Watermillock. There will be a range of habitats to investigate and record including: broadleaved woodland, conifer plantation, hay meadows, grazing pastures, marshy grassland, upland grassland, scrub, becks, disused quarry and rock exposures. Book your place now. More info on our website https://www.cbdc.org.uk/get-involved/recording-days/