Primroses tend to be a February- April flower here Roger; I don't recall any flowering as late as May in recent years.
It was Bess (wife) who identified the bee fly for me, for the first time the year before last. Charming insect, long proboscis and rather triangular, like a fly, but notably high-energy- belting about more than the early hoverflies around the plum. It's slightly orange/ brown or ginger and, when it hovers, you can see it's fluffy looking. Today's were about the woodland bank- there were at least two- and yes, we do have primroses there but the insects seemed to be more attached to the wooden boundary fence and some of the rocks on our bank- perhaps they felt confused by the early warmth in this spot, the rest of the grounds being bathed in this cool air. The sunshine really warmed up this corner when it came out today, and we often gauge the warmth in this microzone by the little wolf spiders that dart out and bask- although none appeared today.
Our blackcurrant has just got little green leaflets trying to unfurl, but there are no flowers yet. Have to wait.
Originally Posted by: Bertwhistle