The meaning of a bumblebee
by Mark Cocker from on (#109CH)
Claxton, Norfolk I was so shocked I looked round for someone to receive the tidings: a bumblebee at New Year!
It came over our hedge and performed a slow swerve around me, a flying creature the size of a snowdrop's bloom, but rotund and black except for pale detail at the abdomen tip. I was so shocked I looked round for someone to receive the instantaneous and extraordinary tidings: a bumblebee at New Year!
What on Earth can such a sighting mean? I'll add detail to justify any unease in that question. It was probably one of two common species, buff-tailed or early bumblebee. Based on its small size I might have suggested the latter, but I keep records of spring firsts and my earliest-ever early bumblebee is late March. My earliest-ever bumblebee of any species is 28 January 2012: a whole month later than this one.
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