Nature Ramble

Late again, I know it’s Monday, but life goes on.

I wanted to finish my new “Sunday Nature Ramble” design for the post, somewhat egoistic I know.

But there you have it.

If you were to go on a nature ramble in England today, there’s something you won’t find.

Bombus subterraneus

Yes, they’re AWOL from the British scene.

Queen B. subterraneus – Nikki Gammans

Oh, you want to know what a Bombus subterraneus  is…

The Short-haired Bumble Bee.

They’re extinct in the British Isles.

But they’re about to make a comeback, there are efforts to import queens from Sweden to re-establish them.

“The short-haired bumblebee, Bombus subterraneus, was once widespread across the south of England, occurring as far north as Humberside, but post-1950’s its population distribution became isolated and patchy. This bee was last recorded in the UK in 1988 near to Dungeness, Kent and officially declared extinct in 2000. ” – Hymettus

So hopefully ramblers in the future will be able to find them.

But it raises the question, why did they disappear?